RIP

Jessie Merkel -- the father of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who was killed during the shooting at a Catholic school in Minnesota Wednesday -- spoke out Thursday in a heartbreaking speech.

Merkel started out by calling Robin Westman -- the shooter who cops say fired more than 100 rounds through the windows of a church into a schoolwide Mass -- a coward ... adding Robin's actions robbed him and his partner of years with their son.

Merkel says Fletcher enjoyed fishing, cooking, playing sports and spending time with loved ones ... and, he asks people to try to remember the kind of kid Fletcher was, instead of thinking only of his tragic death.

"1000-Lb Sisters" stars Amy and Tammy Slaton's cousin Katie has died following a battle with stage 4 cancer.

Her cousin Amanda Halterman announced her death on August 26, writing Katie "went to sit at the feet of Jesus yesterday."

Amanda described her late cousin as "a force to be reckoned with" and wrote she was "my best friend."

TikTok star Emilie Kiser is speaking publicly for the first time after the accidental drowning of her 3-year-old son Trigg ... and is pointing the finger of blame at one person: herself.

The internet personality posted on TikTok Thursday, declaring she takes "full accountability" for their family's loss in the aftermath of her young son's death.

Addressing her fans, EK expressed her heartbreak, saying she misses Trigg "every second of every day" ... and says she believes she is to blame for the tragedy.

The Minnesota Catholic school shooting that left 2 kids dead and 17 people injured caused widespread panic ... and now there's new video capturing students in a mad rush for the exits.

CNN released the wild footage Thursday, which shows dozens of kids stampeding out of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis the day before. Older students are seen hurrying younger ones through a set of doors, kids cowering behind pews, and others simply weeping.

Adults seem to be urging scared kids to run to them in order to escape the house of worship ... and, as you can see, CNN's blurred a section in the background. Unclear what exactly they covered up here.

Robin Westman -- who killed 2 kids and injured 17 people in a targeted shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis Wednesday -- reportedly wrote a long-winded manifesto and uploaded a number of strange videos prior to the attack.

According to CNN ... investigators are currently examining -- and trying to authenticate -- YouTube videos allegedly posted by the shooter in order to gain more insight into a possible motive for the violence.

The videos in question -- and the account itself -- have since been taken down, but Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters Westman had a "manifesto" scheduled to be published on YouTube Wednesday ... when authorities say Westman shot into morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.

Hulk Hogan's widow, Sky Daily, is "planning" to file a lawsuit against at least one of the WWE legend's doctors and others for medical malpractice she says led to his death, sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports.

The suit, we're told, would center around the neck operation Hulk underwent back in May.

Sky first told us ... she believes Hogan's phrenic nerve -- which controls your breathing -- was "compromised" during that procedure.

Brooke Hogan says there was no foul play in her father Hulk's death ... saying she can rest easier since she's now seen the body.

We caught up with the reality star on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... and, she says she wants to keep it real with fans of the late wrestler ... telling them she's satisfied everything is "on the up and up."

She says she never expected murder or anything like that, but she wanted to see the evidence for herself to put her mind at ease.

12:35 PM PT -- FBI Director Kash Patel announced an update to the case on X ... saying the suspect was "identified as Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman." Patel said the FBI is investigating the shooting as domestic terrorism and a "hate crime targeting Catholics."

Minneapolis Police earlier Wednesday referred to the suspected shooter as a man in his early 20s.

The Minneapolis Catholic school shooting suspect has been identified ... according to multiple reports.

The Associated Press reports 23-year-old Robin Westman is believed to be the gunman who attacked the Annunciation Catholic School in the city Wednesday morning.

Local outlets KARE and KSTP also report sources have confirmed the same name. NBC News reports the same name, and said law enforcement officials confirmed Westman posted multiple videos online referencing violence.

TikTok star Natasha Allen has died following a lengthy battle with cancer ... an announcement on her social media accounts confirmed.

Word of the internet star's death broke Friday, when a photo of Natasha, who was known for documenting her battle with stage 4 synovial sarcoma -- an aggressive soft tissue cancer -- was uploaded alongside a tribute.

According to the upload, Natasha died on Friday, and the post honored the TikToker as a "beautiful soul full of love, kindness, and joy."

Kelly Osbourne is jumping to the defense of her late father and his hometown ... after WWE star Becky Lynch cracked a crass joke about him on "Monday Night RAW."

Ozzy's daughter went off on IG in response to Becky's head-turning remarks ... calling her a "disrespectful dirtbag."

She continued unloading with ... "Birmingham would not piss on you if you were on fire."

Michael Madsen left one heck of a legacy in Hollywood when he died last month -- and now his son’s ready to pick up his father's acting torch.

TMZ caught up with the late actor's son Luke, who says he was always on and off about acting -- but after his dad passed, all those memories of running around movie sets came flooding back and reignited his passion for the craft.

Luke also tells us which of his dad’s iconic roles he’d want to step into, and shares a key memory with his dad that, yep, is also movie-related!

Yungblud's first concert in the United States since the death of Ozzy Osbourne featured a tribute to the late Black Sabbath frontman ... and TMZ has it all on video.

The rocker was performing Saturday night at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles when he stopped the show to honor Ozzy. Check out the clip ... Yungblud says Ozzy helped save his life, and the whole venue goes crazy when he says Ozzy and rock and roll will never die.

Yungblood then played a cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes" ... and the place went nuts.

Actor Jerry Adler — best known for his roles in "The Sopranos," "The Good Wife" and "Rescue Me" — has died, TMZ has confirmed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jerry passed away Friday night in NYC ... his cause of death was not released, although it could have been old age.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jerry got a late start in his TV and movie career, launching it in his 60s, even though his cousin was Stella Adler, the iconic acting teacher.

Kelly Clarkson is keeping it lowkey in Los Angeles wearing a large hat and shades for her first outing since the passing of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

The singer was spotted donning an all-black outfit while arriving at LAX airport with her kids, River, 11, and Remington, 9, as well as her sister, Alyssa. The "American Idol" alum maintained a somber expression as she tried to corral her group and their belongings before heading into the airport.

This is the first time Kelly has been spotted since news of Brandon's passing broke earlier in August. As we reported at the time, BB was battling melanoma -- a serious form of skin cancer -- for several years before succumbing to his illness.

Jack Osbourne is back in Los Angeles after his father Ozzy Osbourne’s passing in July in the UK ... and he continues to honor the late rocker’s legacy.

Check out the pics ... Jack was spotted out shopping in L.A. Friday rockin’ a Black Sabbath tee -- but not just any Black Sabbath tee. This one features his father on the cover of the band’s 1970 self-titled debut album.

Tragedy has struck the set of "Emily in Paris" ... Diego Borella, an assistant director, has died during a reported medical incident while filming in Venice.

Borella collapsed while filming the hit Netflix show's 5th season around 7:00 PM on Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene by medical staff, several Italian news outlets report.

Life-saving measures were performed, and local outlet La Repubblica quotes a doctor saying he likely died of a "sudden heart attack."