A rep for the medical examiner's office tells TMZ ... Riley hung himself.

Anthony Riley -- an insanely talented singer who competed on "The Voice" in 2015 -- was found dead Friday ... and friends say it appears Riley took his own life.

Riley -- a Philadelphia street performer -- was a smash hit from the moment he first appeared on "The Voice" -- with all 4 judges slamming on their buttons within seconds of his performance of James Brown's "I Feel Good."

He later left the show in January to deal with substance abuse issues.

A close friend of Riley's told Philly.com his body was discovered in the basement of the apartment where he had been saying ... and all signs pointed to suicide.

He was 28.

"The Voice" host Carson Daly posted a message about Riley ... saying, "Praying for the family and friends of Anthony Riley today. It's a heartbreaking loss. He was incredibly talented and loved to sing. God Bless him."

Prince shamelessly stole a recording artist away from the producer who discovered Lady Gaga ... and her company is now going after The Purple One in court ... this according to legal docs filed by fame music producer, Jolene Cherry.

Singer Judith Hill made a name for herself on "The Voice" in 2013. Sony got interested in her. Ditto Cherry, who says she also first eyed Lady Gaga. Sony and Cherry partnered and claim they signed her to an exclusive recording deal.

According to the lawsuit ... a few months ago, Cherry heard rumblings that Hill was meeting with Prince for a recording session. Cherry claims she warned Judith to stop earlier this month, only to learn that she and Prince recorded an entire album -- 11 songs -- and released it Monday as a free Internet download.

Cherry is now going after Prince with a vengeance, courtesy of her lawyer Larry Stein, asking not only for regular damages but punitive damages for underhandedness.

Judith's attorney Peter Haviland tells us Cherry's suit is simply a publicity stunt ... since Judith already has a pending lawsuit to confirm she is free from Cherry. He adds, "Prince has done absolutely nothing wrong. Judith was and is absolutely free to perform her music as she has done."

With Season 8 kicking off, allow us to remind you of the past champs -- and show you what they look like now. See how many you remember!

Craig Wayne Boyd says he has a damn good reason for blowing off his fans right after he won "The Voice" ... he didn't want to be late for a meeting with Donald Trump.

You'll remember ... Boyd and his hair were in New York City last month after the big win. On his way out of a building, he kinda let one fan take a pic with him ... but straight up blew off a bunch more.

Boyd was back in NYC Wednesday night and revealed how the Donald, unknowingly, played a part in the snubbing.

So, has Boyd learned his lesson? As luck would have it ... a few fans walked up to him last night. Check out the interaction.

Judith Hill -- who's signed to Sony's music label and was a contestant on "The Voice" -- reportedly recorded a new track giving praise to Kim Jong-un while roasting James Franco ... but her people say the story is bogus.

According to Page Six ... Hill originally wrote an ode to James Franco and reportedly submitted it to "The Interview" producers for the soundtrack. But when it didn't make the cut -- and the hacking scandal went down -- she changed the lyrics and the title to "A Love Letter to Kim Jong-un."

Hill was reportedly attempting to mediate peace between North Korea and the U.S. by making K.J.U. the object of her affection in the song. Some choice lyrics:

- "You got me transcending heaven, so don't be confused ... James Franco ain't got nothing on you."

- "I could wait here 127 hours ... it's true ... there's only Oscar and baby it goes to you."

Hill was reportedly signed to Sony last year ... and is best known for performing with Michael Jackson in the movie "This Is It." She placed in the top 8 on "The Voice."

A rep for Hill tells us they did NOT submit the track to "The Interview" producers ... it was requested of them by a Sony A&R rep. She also says the song is not putting James Franco down.

The rep also claims she was not attempting to mediate peace ... and never changed the lyrics or title. The rep says it was simply a parody version of her song.

Christina Aguilera is not in the Christmas spirit ... she spent her birthday in "The Happiest Place On Earth" ... in a heated argument with Mickey Mouse ... TMZ has learned.

Our theme park source tells us while ringing in her 34th b-day at Disney California Adventure, Christina and her crew tried to get a pic with Mickey, but he was going on a break ... so Christina was told she had to wait. Cue meltdown!

Aguilera lost it, and called Mickey an "a**hole." We're told she even dropped the dreaded, "Do you know who I am?"

Xtina's crew started hurling threats, we're told ... and Mickey had to be ushered to a safe zone -- out of public view. Security was called, but by the time they arrived ... the former Mouseketeer had already split.

Aguilera's rep had no comment.

Craig Wayne Boyd just won "The Voice" and he's already got fans flocking around him in NYC ... which would be awesome -- except for the fact he blew off a bunch of them.

CWB -- not just a great singer, but a great hole digger!

Craig Wayne Boyd may have just won "The Voice," but he wouldn't even be a finalist in "The Brain," because he almost immediately disrespected the fans who will determine his long-term success.

Boyd was leaving an NYC office Building Wednesday ... when he squeezed in an autograph and a mid-stride selfie, and then blazed past the other fans.

The little people know the game, and warned the singer he's starting off on the wrong foot.

"The Voice" is a really good show. Now name one of the past winners.

"The Voice" contestant Delvin Choice is influenced by R&B legend Usher, and cops say he's also influenced by drugs or alcohol ... because Choice got busted for DUI.

Choice -- who made it to the top eight on "The Voice" last season -- was arrested shortly before 2 A.M. Sunday in South Carolina ... after a state trooper pulled him over.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... it's Choice's first offense. He was taken to jail ... and freed after paying $1229.50 bail.

Choice's father -- who's a Baptist pastor -- told the media, "We all make mistakes in life. We learn from our mistakes."

It's all about choices.

Pharrell Williams' "Voice" could cost him a million dollars.

Mr. Happy is being sued by the producer of his uber-successful YouTube show, "ARTST TLK" .... featuring interviews with big celebs like Spike Lee, Usher and Tony Hawk. The 12 episodes of Season 1 were huge ... scoring a total of more than 1.7 million views.

But the producer says he got big footed when "The Voice" came along and asked Pharrell to join the judge's panel for Season 7. According to the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- Pharrell told him to pound sand, saying "The Voice" made an exclusive deal so he couldn't do the YouTube show.

Pharrell was kind of insulting, writing the YouTube producer, "Holding me to a contract that prohibits 'The Voice' exclusivity requirement? It's 'The Voice!'" Translation, I can't do your stupid little show.

The YouTube producer says he invested a million bucks in the project and wants Pharrell to pay.

It could have been CeeLo Green's voice stuck in your head singing the song "Happy," but he tells TMZ he has no regrets on passing on the most popular song around.

Our photog spotted Green at LAX on Tuesday, where we asked him about the hit song. Turns out, CeeLo recorded the catchy track first, but ultimately his label decided not to release it. You know how that turned out ...

CeeLo gives the diplomatic answer, but the way he pauses every now and again makes us think he realizes he passed on a goldmine.

Also be sure to check out CeeLo's joke about his back. Pretty funny ...

Gwen Stefani's gonna make good money off Christina Aguilera getting knocked up -- TMZ has learned Gwen has signed on to be a judge on "The Voice."

Multiple sources connected to the show tell us ... No Doubt's lead singer will be on Season 7 ... which starts taping in June.

Producers started looking for new blood in February after Christina announced she was pregnant. Makes sense ... she'd be 8 or 9 months along by the time Season 8's battle rounds began.

We're told NBC wanted Christina to stay during her pregnancy but she's having a difficult time already and ultimately bowed out.

Gwen's deal is for one season right now, and we're told Christina has already signed on to rotate back into her spinning chair for Season 8.

CeeLo Green sounds optimistic about the felony drug case he's currently facing ... telling TMZ, "The darkest part is over."

"The Voice" judge -- who stands accused of giving a woman ecstasy last year -- was rolling out of LAX when he gave us the lowdown on his court case.

CeeLo Green says the failed police investigation into allegations he committed sexual assault hasn't hurt his game with women.

CeeLo was coming out of Bootsy Bellows in West Hollywood Friday night when our photog asked if women were nervous interacting with him. CeeLo made it clear ... chicks in the club were lining up.

TMZ broke the story ... the L.A. County D.A. REJECTED the accuser's claim of sexual assault, in no small part because she had been dating CeeLo for months and the claim just didn't make sense.

CeeLo Green spent just over half an hour with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department Monday afternoon ... getting booked for allegedly giving a woman ecstasy last year.

CeeLo's booking sheet lists his birth name -- Thomas DeCarlo Callaway -- as well as his height and weight ... 5'7", 260 lbs ... if you were curious.

Earlier Monday ... CeeLo pled not guilty to furnishing ecstasy to the woman who had accused him of sexual assault. The D.A. declined to prosecute on the sexual assault charge due to insufficient evidence.

The whole booking process took 33 minutes, and interestingly ... the 38-year-old singer's hair color is listed as black.

Guess "bald" isn't really a color -- or maybe, CeeLo busted out that hideous Prince wig he sported last year on "The Voice."

The L.A. County D.A. will CLEAR CeeLo Green of charges he sexually assaulted a woman by allegedly slipping a drug in her drink ... TMZ has learned. CeeLo will, however, be charged with the felony of furnishing ecstasy ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say the D.A. will officially REJECT the sexual assault case this morning. A woman had claimed she and CeeLo went to a sushi joint in downtown L.A. more than a year ago. She told cops the star of "The Voice" had slipped ecstasy in her drink and the next thing she knew she was naked in his bed.

Law enforcement sources tell us, authorities had problems with the woman's story ... one of which was that she and CeeLo had been dating for months and had already been intimate.

We're told CeeLo not only denied the allegations ... he encouraged the D.A. and the LAPD to fully investigate. In the end, we've learned the D.A. will reject the sexual assault case because of insufficient evidence.

As for the drug charge ... law enforcement sources tell us CeeLo will be charged with 1 count of furnishing ecstasy ... a felony, and he may be arraigned as early as this afternoon.

As we previously reported, the woman claimed to have a tape recording of CeeLo talking about the incident. Although our sources say CeeLo never said anything about slipping ecstasy in her drink, he did reference the drug. It appears the D.A. views the tape as a confession to drug use ... thus the charge.

We're told the criminal complaint will NOT allege the singer had any criminal intent to harm the woman when he allegedly shared ecstasy with her.