RIP

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources says it mistakenly released records tied to Nolan Wells' death investigation ... and now prosecutors are telling the agency to keep the rest under wraps.

In a letter responding to a TMZ public records request, the MDMR acknowledged it had "inadvertently released records" related to Nolan's case. The agency did not identify which records were disclosed or to whom they were released.

The MDMR says it was later notified by Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath that Nolan's death remains under investigation and will be presented to a grand jury.

11:15 AM PT -- Ben Crump joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... explaining why Nolan's throat, lungs, and the original autopsy photos could help answer the biggest questions surrounding his death.

10:19 AM PT -- The Mississippi medical examiner tells TMZ ... the autopsy they performed on July 7 was "in accordance with the standard procedures and protocols followed for all autopsies conducted by the Office of the State Medical Examiner."

They added, "This case remains an active and ongoing investigation. We will not comment on the investigation or the independent autopsy that was conducted."

Nolan Wells may have suffered an injury to the back of his head, this according to the preliminary findings of the independent autopsy commissioned by Nolan's family.

The family's attorney, Ben Crump, described the "focal area of red discoloration in the soft tissue in the back of the head." It was 12 by 8 inches in length in the lower part of the skull.

There was significant decomposition such that it was impossible to know if there was bruising on Nolan's skin.

WebMD says discoloration in the back of the head can sometimes be caused by blood pooling while the body is positioned on a slab for examination.

Kelly Osbourne is pouring out her heart on the 1st anniversary of her father Ozzy Osbourne's death ... saying the past year without him has broken her in ways she never knew were possible.

Kelly shared a lengthy letter to the rock legend Wednesday ... writing, "One year ago today, the world changed forever."

She says she still feels Ozzy in the quiet, in the wind, in his music ... and even the lingering memory of his cologne.

Swipe to the second slide of her IG post to read her tribute ... she says the most painful part isn't simply that he's gone ... it's no longer being able to touch him, hold his hand, or feel the sense of safety only he could give her.

Israeli-American reality TV star Yakir Levi fell to his death from the 28th floor of a luxury hotel in Florida ... and we're told investigators do not suspect foul play.

Police in Sunny Isles Beach and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the Acqualina Resort and Residences shortly after 9:30 PM Monday ... where Levi was pronounced dead at the scene.

TMZ obtained dispatch audio from the incident ... and responders originally reported it as a suicide. Ambulances were in route, and a responding officer declared it a "45", which usually means dead on arrival.

Investigators say Levi was alone at the time of the fall. The investigation remains ongoing ... with authorities working alongside the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner to determine his cause and manner of death.

The self-described best friend of Nolan Wells says Nolan seemed "completely fine" while they were hanging out on Horn Island ... with nothing appearing out of the ordinary.

Warren Hudson sat down with YouTuber Brandon Tatum on the "Officer Tatum Show" and gave his account of what happened on Horn Island in Mississippi on the Fourth of July.

Warren said he was hanging out on the island with friends from high school and college, including Nolan. He said most folks in the group were regular visitors on the island.

In his conversations and interactions with Nolan, Warren said Nolan seemed fine and was laughing, joking and generally having a good time.

Cher struck out in her attempt to have Sonny Bono's widow, Mary Bono, pay more than $1 million in legal fees Cher racked up in their court battle over music royalties.

Here's the deal ... Cher filed a complaint against Mary years back seeking $1 million in damages in royalties from the songs she and Sonny recorded together, including "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On."

She said she was entitled to 50% as a part of their 1978 divorce agreement, but Mary allegedly attempted to use certain copyright laws to terminate Cher's rights. A California judge sided with the Grammy winner in May 2024 and said she was owed more than $418,000 in unpaid royalties.

Cher then went after Mary to pay the hefty attorney fees she incurred in the lawsuit ... but on Friday, a judge denied Cher's motion, reasoning that the copyright law she invoked to collect the attorney's fees did not apply to this issue because the dispute was mainly over the old divorce agreement, not copyright law.

Actor Mike Preston -- best known for his iconic role as Pappagallo in "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" -- has died.

Preston passed away on June 8 in Florida, according to Variety, citing his wife, Josie. His cause of death was not disclosed.

Born in London, England in 1938, Preston launched his TV and movie career with the 1969 flick, “Stoney.”

Years later, Preston scored his biggest role ever in the 1981 classic film, "The Road Warrior," starring Mel Gibson. Preston played Pappagallo, the charismatic leader of a settler group trying to bring peace to the violent wasteland. 

7/22/2026 11:48 AM PT -- Kaylee Hottle died from blunt force trauma ... TMZ has confirmed.

11:12 AM PT -- TMZ has obtained dispatch audio of the car crash.

9:22 AM PT -- Authorities say Kaylee Hottle was riding in a 1995 Honda Accord when the driver veered off a Maryland road and slammed into a roadside ditch early Tuesday.

Kaylee Hottle -- a deaf actress best known for playing Jia in two 'Godzilla' films -- is dead.

Her father, Joshua Hottle, tells TMZ ... his daughter was killed in a car accident early Tuesday morning in Maryland.

Joshua also shared the tragic news in a nearly 23-minute-long social live stream ... explaining in ASL that he had to fly from Texas to claim her body.

Joshua says he learned Kaylee was involved in a serious car accident ... and officials called him shortly after this initial shock to inform him her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.

Millie Bobby Brown is among the sea of fans who are gutted by Kaylee Hottle's sudden death ... and she's paying tribute to her late costar, who died in a car crash.

Millie starred alongside Kaylee in "Godzilla vs. Kong" ... and after Kaylee's death Tuesday, Millie took to Instagram to remember her fallen friend.

MBB shared an image of Kaylee from their movie and said Kaylee would be "deeply missed." She also said she was "devastated" to learn Kaylee died.

Here's the aftermath of the fatal car crash that killed Kaylee Hottle ... the front of the vehicle is a mangled wreck ... and it looks like the result of a heavy impact.

Kaylee was a passenger in the 1995 Honda Accord ... and in our photo, the car is being loaded into the back of a flat-bed tow truck. The hood is smashed up, the hubcaps are missing and the tires appear damaged ... possibly from a fire.

The passenger side door is hanging off at an angle ... seemingly unable to close properly ... and there's damage to a side-view mirror.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman faced the media on the first day of D4vd's preliminary hearing ... revealing prosecutors plan to call more than 10 witnesses -- and they still haven't decided whether to seek the death penalty.

The prelim began Tuesday morning in a downtown L.A. courtroom ... with prosecutors presenting evidence in an effort to convince a judge there's enough to warrant a murder trial in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas -- Hochman says he expects the prelim to last 5-7 days.

D4vd -- real name David Anthony Burke -- appeared alongside his attorneys as prosecutors began laying out evidence they claim ties him to Celeste's brutal death and mutilation.

Claude Lemieux's son told police the NHL legend had relapsed into sex addiction before taking his own life ... revealing his family noticed his behavior spiraling in the year leading up to his death.

Brendan Lemieux reportedly discussed his father's struggles with Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators on May 28 ... shortly after finding Claude dead at the family's business in Lake Park, Florida, according to a California Post report.

The outlet reviewed police body cam footage in which Brendan allegedly said his mother, Deborah, discovered Claude was no longer sober ... explaining his father's primary issue was sex addiction, not alcohol -- although he reportedly said he didn't know if his father had picked up drinking again too.

Kaylee Hottle was riding in a 1995 Honda Accord when the driver veered off a Maryland road and slammed into a roadside ditch early Tuesday ... with excessive speed believed to be a factor ... TMZ has learned.

Authorities in Maryland say Kaylee -- the "Godzilla vs. Kong" actress -- was rushed to a trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead.

Two others were in the vehicle at the time of the collision ... the 19-year-old driver suffered injuries not believed to be life-threatening, while another passenger declined treatment at the scene.

The Frederick County Sheriff's Office says deputies and fire and rescue personnel responded to the single-vehicle crash around 2:52 AM. The crash remains under investigation.

Kaylee Hottle was unconscious after the car she was riding in crashed in Maryland ... and first responders scrambled to find an American Sign Language interpreter and contact her family ... according to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ.

Listen to the clip ... dispatchers say the 18-year-old actress was unconscious after the Honda Accord she was a passenger in veered off a Maryland roadway and crashed.

Dispatchers order an ambulance and an emergency aircraft, which landed on a baseball field near the crash scene.

Early on, it's clear dispatchers know Kaylee is deaf ... requesting someone who knows sign language to report to the scene.

The person behind the wheel was Kaylee's friend ... dispatchers say she was visiting them for the weekend, and they have no clue how to get in touch with her parents.

This new video from the day Nolan Wells went missing might reveal the first clues about who he was with during the last hours of the Horn Island 4th of July party.

TMZ obtained the video recorded that fateful day ... as the camera pans around to show multiple boats and tons of people partying, you can see a Black man standing on the back deck of a boat, apparently bending over to get a drink.

Check the video ... the man is wearing trunks matching the color of the ones Nolan was wearing in the infamous July 4 pic with his friends on a boat.

Olympic medalist Toshiaki Fushimi died after crashing during a cycling race in Japan.

The cyclist was competing in the Matsusaka Keirin tournament in Japan on Saturday when other racers collided in front of him.

In video circulating social media, you see Toshiaki apparently had to veer off to the side to avoid getting caught up in the collision. According to U.K. Metro, Toshiaki was the rider in black.

While he avoided the mass pileup, Toshiaki crashed into the safety barrier ... fracturing his cervical vertebrae and skull. He was reportedly taken to a hospital, but died the next day.