RIP

Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband Brandon Blackstock was in a relationship when he died of melanoma ... and she's a former assistant to Kelly.

According to his obituary ... Blackstock was living with Brittney Marie Jones in Montana -- a "loving partner" who was with him until his untimely death. A source with knowledge confirmed to TMZ ... Brittney was a production assistant for Kelly from 2016 to 2020.

According to her LinkedIn she was then Blackstock's executive assistant while he was the artist manager of Starstruck Entertainment -- before he rebranded the company to V Bar V Cattle Co., after the couple's divorce.

TMZ reported last week Brandon sadly lost his battle with melanoma, after a three-and-a-half-year fight, at just 48.

Brooke Hogan’s feeling the weight of losing her dad, Hulk -- spotted out with family in Orlando, and you can see the heartbreak written all over her face.

As you can see, Brooke kept it low-key on a Tuesday stroll in Orlando -- but the grief snuck up, and tears followed.

We're told Brooke got emotional seeing the sunset ... it reminded her of her father, and she was telling her husband how much Hulk would have loved it.

Danielle Spencer -- famous for playing Dee Thomas on the hit ’70s sitcom "What’s Happening!!" -- spent her final days in a hospital bed ... where she had to get food and medicine through an IV.

Danielle's mom, Cheryl Pelt, tells TMZ ... Danielle was hospitalized August 1 after an infection turned septic, and she was unable to eat hard foods.

What's more, we're told Danielle had pneumonia in both lungs ... and she was losing weight and her gastric cancer was kicking up.

T-Hood's death is being investigated as a potential self-defense shooting, Gwinnett County police say.

After police confirmed the identity of the suspect in the Atlanta rapper's shooting death as the son of "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" stars Kirk and Rasheeda Frost ... they're now looking into the possibility he acted in self-defense following a domestic dispute.

Law enforcement says ... their ongoing investigation indicates a "domestic disturbance" occurred at the location of the shooting -- a residence in unincorporated Snellville, Georgia. A female victim sustained physical injuries during the dispute.

Darcy Connolly-Brunner -- the mother of former WNBA and Arizona State basketball player Sophie Brunner -- was tragically killed in a head-on collision in Illinois. She was 61 years old.

The Stephenson County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a fatal incident on Route 26 North in Freeport on Saturday.

Officials said preliminary investigation findings indicated the driver of a Nissan Altima, Rolando Ico-Choc, 30, was heading southbound when he entered the northbound lane, crashing directly into a Ford Edge.

Sylvester Stallone says Hulk Hogan knew he was destined to take over the world as the face of wrestling ... and things really clicked for him once he starred in "Rocky III."

In "TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan," Sly looks back on a young Hulk who was just finding his footing in Hollywood way back in 1982 when they started filming the franchise's third installment.

Sly says from the jump, he could tell Hulk had a certain glow and a light to him ... or as Stallone says, "Certain people just have it."

Reba McEntire is remembering her "cowboy" former stepson, Brandon Blackstock, a week after his death following a years-long battle with melanoma.

The country singer mourned Brandon in an Instagram post Tuesday night ... sharing throwback photos together while reflecting on his impact during his time on Earth.

She writes ... "There is no one else like him, and I’m thankful for the time we had together. His legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family. Rest in peace cowboy. Happy trails to you til we meet again."

Reba McEntire is breaking her silence after the heartbreaking loss of her stepson, Brandon Blackstock -- who died last week following a years-long battle with melanoma.

The country music legend commented on her son Shelby's emotional Instagram post, writing, "Very well said Shelby. Yes we will miss him so much 💔💔🙏💔❤️❤️❤️🙏💔."

In the tribute, Shelby -- Reba's son with ex-husband Narvel Blackstock -- shared the family's grief, writing, "Words cannot begin to capture the tremendous loss our family has endured. Yesterday, we lost a brother, a father, a grandfather, and a son. Brandon Blackstock was an irreplaceable part of our family -- funny, bright, and full of life—and he will be deeply missed."

Hulk Hogan's life and legacy are complex ... he did lots of great things on his way to the top, but he made lots of mistakes along the way -- including using racial slurs that hurt fans and friends alike.

Hulk once admitted he was a racist and later walked back those comments ... and we look back on the consequences of his well-documented instances of racism in "TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan."

Hogan was fired from the WWE in 2015 after a sex tape emerged of him using a racist slur in 2007 to describe one of daughter Brooke Hogan's exes.

Up-and-coming Memphis rapper FastCash CMoney was killed in a BRUTAL weekend shootout -- literally 1 month before he was about to have a clean slate with the law!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained federal docs from 2019 confirming that CMoney (real name Cordney Smith) was slated to be released from federal probation on September 29 after he and 17 other FastCash members were convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Conspiracy to Possess and Attempt to Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana.

CMoney was found guilty of helping the criminal enterprise defraud a bank of over $240,000 and conspiracy to move more than 100 kilos of weed ... and wound up serving an 18-month prison sentence before getting released on probation.

Danielle Spencer -- famous for playing Dee Thomas on the hit ’70s sitcom "What’s Happening!!" -- has died at 60 following complications from cancer, TMZ has learned.

Her longtime friend and former costar Haywood Nelson -- AKA Dwayne from the sitcom -- tells TMZ Danielle passed away Monday night in a Richmond, Virginia hospital ... with her mom Cheryl and her jazz musician brother Jeremy Pelt by her side.

Haywood says he was in Dallas when he got the heartbreaking call -- telling us he always saw Danielle as his little sis. The two last spoke just two weeks ago on the phone, and he says she sounded upbeat at the time.

Huge update in the T-Hood murder case down in Georgia -- cops have identified their top suspect ... and he is the son of "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" stars Kirk and Rasheeda Frost.

TMZ obtained the incident report from the rapper's slaying ... and the Gwinnett County Police Department says their primary murder suspect is Ky Lasheed Frost. T-Hood's mom also told TMZ ... the alleged killer is the son of Kirk and Rasheeda.

As we reported ... T-Hood was shot at his Georgia home Friday, and he later died.

Robbie Brewer's career as a stock car driver came to a tragic end on August 9, 2025, when he died after crashing into a wall during a race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The tragedy grew worse in the days following the event, when it was revealed the driver had actually suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel before the collision.

We're going to look into the background of the late competitor and go over the events of his final time on the track.

Brewer had been involved in racing events for more than three decades, and his first career start on a racetrack took place in 1990, according to ESPN.

The driver racked up a total of 311 Bowman Gray starts, split between the track's Stadium Stock, Sportsman and Tour Type Modified divisions, according to CBS Sports.

Brewer earned himself a track championship in 2011 in the Sportsman competition, and he had a total of 11 career victories at Bowman Gray.

The competitor also appeared in various 602 Modified races in the region surrounding Winston-Salem.

Brewer's final event was part of a Sportsman Division race at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The racer was coming up to a restart with four laps to go in what was the first of two 20-lap features.

However, the competitor's car veered when he reportedly experienced a heart attack, according to Short Track Scene ... and the car crashed head-on into a wall, rolling to a halt near the finish line.

Emergency crew workers cut Brewer out of the wrecked car, and he was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

A spectator spoke to the New York Post and said racing fans descended into "silence and reverence" after the crash. The racing fan recalled seeing several individuals "clearly praying" after the horrific wreck.

Brewer's daughter Courtney made an official announcement about her father's death on her Facebook account Sunday, writing she wasn't the only one who'd lost "a best friend," according to the New York Post.

Calvin Harris just can't let Taylor Swift have her big day ... because hours after she announced a new album, he announced the death of his rooster -- and Calvin says the cock was murdered!!!

The musician, who is among Taylor's famous exes, hopped on social media Tuesday and claimed his "majestic" cockerel Smokey was dead.

Calvin claims the rooster was "murdered" by his "idiot" neighbor's "grimey dogs" ... and he says Smokey's death has left him "absolutely gutted."

The woman Hulk Hogan made his infamous sex tape with just surfaced in public for the first time since the wrestling legend died ... and we've got a look.

Heather Clem ventured out Monday in Tampa, Florida ... rocking a sports bra and some yoga pants as she stopped at a convenience store.

You'll recall, Heather was at the center of Hulk's 2012 sex tape scandal ... they banged on camera while she was married to Hulk's former friend, infamous radio host Bubba The Love Sponge.

Hulk Hogan's Florida bar honored him on his birthday by throwing an all-day rager ... and the festivities got so large, even Nick -- the WWE legend's son -- popped by!

TMZ Sports is told ... Hogan's Hangout in Clearwater threw a 7 AM to 2 AM party on Monday on what would have been the wrestling icon's 72nd cake day, and droves of Hulkamaniacs showed up to pay their respects.

People clad in red and yellow attire cruised through the doors throughout the afternoon ... and at around 8 PM, Nick stopped in to lead karaoke.