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Paul Mooney -- the longtime comedian, writer and actor known best for his work with Richard Pryor -- has died from a heart attack ... TMZ has learned.

According to his family ... Mooney died Wednesday morning at his home in Oakland. We're told the paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive him after he suffered a heart attack.

Paul, who's been out of the public eye for a few years, had also reportedly been suffering from dementia for some time and was staying with a family member.

Though born in Louisiana, Mooney moved to Oakland and grew up there, and got his start in entertainment as a circus ringmaster ... which led to a passion for telling and writing jokes.

This led to his first professional gig in show business as a writer for Pryor, and the 2 would maintain a working relationship for years to come ... with Paul contributing to Richard's legendary stand-up performances such as 'Live on the Sunset Strip.'

Mooney was also the head writer on "The Richard Pryor Show" and wrote a few episodes of "Pryor's Place." His other notable writing credits include "Sanford and Son," "In Living Color" and "Chappelle's Show."

As an actor, Paul's best known for playing Sam Cooke in the 1978 film, "The Buddy Holly Story," and for his role as Junebug in Spike Lee's "Bamboozled" ... along with regular appearances on "Chappelle's Show."

Paul was 79.

Billy Porter is HIV-positive -- something he's known since 2007 when he was first diagnosed, but he's opening up about it now because, as he says ... "The truth is healing."

The "Pose" star says after his HIV was first detected 14 years ago, shame and fear drove him to keep it a secret ... especially while trying to make it in an industry he says hasn't always been kind to him.

Porter, in an essay for The Hollywood Reporter, says ... "I was trying to have a life and a career, and I wasn’t certain I could if the wrong people knew. It would just be another way for people to discriminate against me in an already discriminatory profession. So I tried to think about it as little as I could. I tried to block it out."

The actor says people who needed to know about his diagnosis knew, but he hid it from everyone else -- even his mother. However, Billy says the past year of quarantine has taught him a lot and he began real trauma therapy to deal with his past ... and it led him to decide to reveal his truth.

Before that, Porter says he used Pray Tell -- the HIV-positive character he plays on "Pose," a role that won him an Emmy -- as his proxy. Billy explains, "I was able to say everything that I wanted to say through a surrogate," while acknowledging nobody involved with the show knew he was drawing from his own life.

In an emotional interview with Tamron Hall Wednesday, Billy revealed he used to question why he was able to survive ... and says he felt like his casting on "Pose" was a sign from God.

Now everyone knows, and Billy says that's liberating. He also points out that he's the healthiest he's ever been in his life and he's hopeful the stigma around HIV can become a thing of the past.

Matt Barnes was a tough guy on the court, but he's looking to make people laugh it off ... with the ex-NBA forward landing his own comedy series with Showtime!!!

41-year-old Barnes has reportedly struck a deal with the TV network and Lionsgate to develop "The Education of Matt Barnes," a half-hour scripted comedy series loosely based on his life postretirement, according to Deadline.

The show will be a "story of how a single dad from Encino balances home, business, activism and relationships while navigating the temptations of the celebrity-centric, Instagram and TikTok universe of LA," the report says.

The project is backed by writer and creator Matt Pyken, who most notably worked on "Empire" ... and "Blackish" director Pete Chatmon is on board for the pilot.

Remember, Barnes told us back in 2017 he had big plans in the entertainment industry ... and the dude wasn't kidding -- he'll act as co-executive producer alongside the Tannenbaum Company for the project.

There will be plenty of storylines to use from Barnes' memorable 14-year career in the NBA ... as well as his life as a father of 3 kids.

Bonnie Somerville, famous for playing a detective on "NYPD Blue," had a run-in with real cops on the opposite coast ... police in L.A. say she was drunk behind the wheel.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops were getting calls around 10 PM Sunday night for a car stopped in traffic on the 405 near Inglewood, and when officers arrived, they say they found Bonnie pulled off on the right shoulder in a Mercedes-Benz.

Our sources say Bonnie told cops she simply ran out of gas, but officers say she reeked of booze and ended up bombing a field sobriety test.

We're told Bonnie, who played Det. Laura Murphy in the final season of "NYPD Blue," was cited for DUI and later released.

Nick Jonas says he cracked a rib taking a spill on a bicycle, but he's on the mend.

Nick revealed the extent of his injuries Monday night on NBC's "The Voice," saying he also suffered a few other bumps and bruises, and it hurts to laugh. We're sure Blake Shelton will go easy on him, and by "easy" we mean ... not at all.

TMZ broke the story ... Nick was injured late Saturday night while filming a project, and it was serious enough that he needed medical attention at a nearby hospital.

We were told he was released and back home by Sunday, and wouldn't miss his scheduled Monday appearance on "The Voice."

Remember ... the 28-year-old actor/singer suffered a hand injury in 2018, the result of a post-show workout in Mexico. He posted a pic of that injury at the time, showing bandages and a beer.

He's playing this rib injury much closer to the vest, though. Neither Nick, nor anyone connected to him, will say exactly what he was filming when he got hurt.

Miranda Cosgrove now has a Black BFF in the "iCarly" reboot -- which is unfortunately receiving hateful and racist backlash that she and the rest of the cast are stamping out.

Actress Laci Mosley is cast as Harper in the revived series -- which now follows Carly in her 20s -- who plays the main character's new best pal/roommate ... seemingly replacing Carly's old friend from the OG show, Sam Puckett. At least that's what trolls thought, anyway.

Apparently, folks were harassing Laci for her appearance in the show -- amid the absence of actress Jennette McCurdy, who played Sam -- and some were even calling her the n-word and other racist epithets ... so claims Laci, who called out the online hate.

She clarified she wasn't "replacing" anybody, and if people continued trolling her in her DMs, they'd be blocked. Her cries were echoed by Paramount -- the parent company of Nickelodeon -- and even Miranda herself.

The company issued a statement saying they were proud of the racially diverse cast for the new "iCarly" show -- and that any forms of racism being directed at their actors of color were not acceptable. MC reposted that same message to her IG Story.

One interesting twist here ... many Black fans of the show have also chimed in on Laci's casting, and some seem to think it's a case of PC overcorrecting and/or pandering on the part of Paramount.

One user wrote, "did they seriously just do the whole Black bestfriend trope with ICarly??? Man f*** all of that." There are lots of other tweets from other Black people that have similar sentiments.

Prince Harry and Oprah just dropped the first trailer for their mental health documentary ... and it shows them opening up about their own pain, alongside other famous and non-famous people.

The preview of "The Me You Can't See" starts with the project's executive producers chatting about the mental health crisis around the world ... partially due to the pandemic -- but both Oprah and Prince Harry get emotional, talking about their mental health battles.

As Oprah puts it, "The telling of the story ... being able to say, 'This is what happened to me,' is crucial." The Apple TV+ series features other celebs, like NBA star DeMar DeRozan, Glenn Close and Lady Gaga ... who's using her real name, Stefani, for the project.

The trailer also features several images of Robin Williams, so it appears his battles with depression will also be discussed when the series premieres this Friday.

While promoting the show, Harry's been talking a lot about his own mental health issues ... including criticizing Prince Charles for his parenting skills, or lack thereof.

At this rate, NO ONE is gonna be Tiger King ... Jeff Lowe's "Tiger King" Park keeps losing attractions -- we've learned the feds showed up again to seize even more of his big cats.

The "Tiger King" star tells TMZ ... his zoo in Thackerville, Oklahoma got raided Monday morning by 40-50 federal agents. Jeff says they showed up at 7 AM with a search warrant and told him to stay inside his house or he'd be arrested.

According to Lowe ... the feds are in the process of seizing about 70 animals. Jeff tells us he believes they are looking for tiger cubs on the property, but he says they don't have any.

Jeff says the warrant -- which appears to have been issued by a federal judge in the Eastern District of Oklahoma -- cites the Endangered Species Act as the reason for the search and seizure.

What's going down Monday at "Tiger King" Park seems very similar to what happened earlier this month ... when Jeff told us the feds showed up to haul away several of his hybrid big cats -- animals he claims are NOT protected under the Endangered Species Act.

As we first told you ... the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was the lead agency for that raid -- but the USDA was also present during the seizure of the animals. It's unclear if that's the same situation for Monday's raid or if other agencies are involved.

Nick Jonas was injured late Saturday night while filming a new show ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

We're told Nick was on set when something happened -- the sources would not disclose the nature of the accident or injury -- but it was serious enough that he was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Our sources say .... as of Sunday night, Nick is back home and will appear as scheduled Monday night on "The Voice."

The 28-year-old actor/singer suffered a hand injury back in 2018 during a post-show workout in Mexico. He posted a photo of the injury and some bandages along with a beer shortly after it happened.

Trevor Noah and Minka Kelly have reportedly called it quits -- which, if true, means that mansion he snapped up earlier this year is going to start feeling a whole lot bigger.

The low-key Hollywood couple -- who were first linked back in the summer of 2020 -- are going their separate ways ... this after supposedly being super serious after less than a year of dating. People Mag first broke the news, citing sources close to the pair.

No word yet on what caused the break-up, but it's definitely a left turn from what word on the street was regarding their relationship status just a few short months ago ... which was that they were head over heels and possibly moving in together.

That leads us to Trevor's real estate buy out in Bel-Air ... where he recently bought a modern-day palace of a home for a whopping $27.5 million. It's a huge home, and frankly -- it's a lot of house for one person. Supposedly, the idea behind getting such a big place was to accommodate both himself and Minka -- and whatever else followed -- but now ... it seems the crib will become a bachelor pad.

No harm, no foul though -- the property is gorgeous, so we don't imagine Trevor has any buyer's remorse over it. If anything, he could always flip it and downsize.

As for the one-time lovebirds ... welp, we hardly knew ya. TN and MK were notoriously private about their relationship -- never once confirming they were actually together, despite being spotted out in public with one another on a few occasions.

The clock is now ticking for NBC to choose the successor to Ellen DeGeneres' coveted time slot, and although they have a star in their pocket, a lot has to go right to make it work.

Sources at the network tell us -- long before COVID -- NBC honchos launched the Kelly Clarkson Show as the heir apparent to Ellen's syndicated hour. They knew back then Ellen was probably going to pull the plug on the show, and Kelly seemed like a likely successor.

The thing is ... Kelly's show struggled during COVID. Producing the show with guests joining remotely was challenging and the ratings slumped -- but that was the case with most shows through the pandemic. We're told a lot depends on the next few months ... whether the show experiences a surge in popularity as production comes back full force.

If that doesn't happen, NBC may well look beyond its current lineup to find a replacement, and a name that's been bandied about is one Tiffany Haddish. There are many reasons why Tiffany's name has bubbled up to the surface ... one of which is that she has guest-hosted for Ellen with considerable success.

The fact is ... Tiffany would probably kill in the timeslot, but we did some checking and no one in her camp is willing to say if she would even entertain the idea of doing a Monday-thru-Friday talk show, which is a real grind.

If she were interested, given the unbelievable number of projects Tiffany has, it would take the contents of a bank vault to seal the deal.

Phylicia Rashad's more than just a big name added to Howard University's faculty list ... she plans on doing big things as the Dean of the College of Fine Arts.

Provost Anthony K. Wutoh tells TMZ ... when the legendary TV mom takes on her new role at Howard in July, she's made it clear she'll be a present figure on campus and laser-focused from day one on re-establishing the fine arts school as a premier program in the country.

Wutoh says one of Rashad's major focal points will be the new building for the College of Fine Arts and School of Communications, adding that she'll be involved in designing it along with spearheading fundraising.

We're told Phylicia's also very interested in making sure the school's curriculum is contemporary, and she'll be recruiting excellent new faculty members to replace recent retirees. There's also hope she'll be able to expand enrollment in the fine arts majors.

That being said, the actress still has a number of performing obligations -- including 'Creed' in 2022 -- so she will be allowed to balance her work in the acting world with her work as dean. Rashad's stated that she will be a "working artist."

Of course, as soon as "The Cosby Show" star steps on campus she'll instantly become one of Howard's most famous faces, but the provost believes she'll have no problem managing the inevitable attention.

Mike Tyson likes what he sees from Jamie Foxx -- telling TMZ Sports the actor's impression of the boxing legend is "magnificent!"

Foxx has been transforming into "Iron Mike" for a project he's been working on for years! It was initially pitched as a feature film but now it's being shopped as a TV series.

In fact, Martin Scorsese is one of the executive producers and Antoine Fuqua signed on as director -- so, yeah ... it's a big deal!

53-year-old Foxx gave a sneak of his Tyson bod back in June 2020 during an appearance on "Catching Up with Mark Birnbaum" ... and more recently posted a topless pic on social media looking JACKED!

So ... what does Mike think?

Spoiler alert: he likes it!

"He's gonna do a great job," 54-year-old Tyson told us this week at LAX ... "[Foxx's impression] is great, magnificent!"

Still no word on when or where the project will drop -- but Mike's fired up. He issued a statement back in March saying, "I have been looking to tell my story for quite some time."

Whoopi Goldberg was blindsided when we told her Ellen DeGeneres is ending her talk show ... it was news to her.

We got Whoopi at a COVID vaccination site Friday in East Orange, NJ and when our camera guy asked her reaction to Ellen's announcement, Whoopi literally took a few steps back she was so shocked.

Well, there's lots going on in this world ... COVID, re-opening, culture wars, etc., etc., etc., so so you can't keep up on everything. As for whether Whoopi might actually replace Ellen, she explains why that's never gonna happen!

Whoopi may not have been up to date on Ellen, but she definitely is on COVID.

New York City native Glenn Scarpelli was only 14 years old when he landed the life-changing role as the young son Alex Handris -- who stayed on for 60 episodes from 1980 to 1983 -- on the long-running family comedy "One Day at a Time."

Scarpelli was cast alongside some iconic actors including Bonnie Franklin as the busy mother, Ann Romano, and Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips as the two teen daughters, Barbara and Julie ... and of course Pat Harrington Jr. as slapstick super, Dwayne F. Schneider.

Bill Maher is sidelined from his show this week because he's tested positive for COVID-19 ... but, strange as it sounds, there's some good news here.

The 'Real Time' host has little reason to be worried because a rep for HBO says Bill is fully vaccinated, and he's feeling fine. The rep says, "Bill tested positive during weekly staff PCR testing for COVID" but says he's totally asymptomatic.

Remember, the COVID vaccines don't guarantee you won't get infected, but are highly effective in shielding you from serious illness and hospitalization. Bill's a perfect example of that.

HBO says no other staff or crew members have tested positive for the virus and Friday's show will be rescheduled for a later date ... the network says they've taken all COVID safety measures seriously.

Bill's guests this week were supposed to be Neil deGrasse Tyson, "World War Z" author Max Brooks and "Hardcore History" podcast host Dan Carlin.