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Comedian Fuquan Johnson died this weekend of an apparent overdose -- along with two others -- while a fourth person is in the hospital ... the recent girlfriend of one Darius Rucker, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there was a get-together Friday night at someone's house in the Venice neighborhood of L.A., where Johnson was in attendance -- as was Kate Quigley ... a comedian/model who has been, of late, dating the Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer -- this after the guy split with his longtime wife just last summer.

Darius' rep, however, confirms to TMZ ... he is not dating Kate, and hasn't been for a while. They were reportedly going out for a good chunk of last year -- and there's photos of them on her IG page as a couple from this past May. Seems there's no affiliation now, though.

As for who owns the place where this went down -- there's a few owners listed ... and we do know Quigley was a resident (and perhaps still is) at what appears to be an adjacent property right next door to where the 911 call was directed to. Could be a duplex.

In any case, we're told cops were summoned a little after midnight, and when they arrived ... they found 4 people who appeared to be either deceased or close to it. Our sources say Johnson and 2 others were pronounced dead on the scene ... while Quigley was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Unclear how she's doing now -- we've tried reaching out to her team for comment, but have come up short on contacts for the woman.

We're told cocaine laced with fentanyl appears to be what was ingested by all. Autopsies will be done for the three bodies -- which are with the L.A. Coroner's Office now. We're working on getting the IDs of the other two victims ... who might also be comedians themselves.

Our law enforcement sources also tell us this ... the LAPD's homicide unit was notified about this case -- but no word on whether they're getting directly involved just yet, although LAPD is investigating. It's unclear who originally supplied the coke, who bought it or under what circumstances it might've been passed around/used by the four individuals.

Because of that ... we're told it's hard to tell if any charges might come of this -- as our sources say they don't know, for now, where the drugs came from. Still, it could spell trouble ... and possibly mean Uncle Sam gets involved, a la Mac Miller -- whose death spurred federal charges after an investigation ... with indictments for the alleged dealers.

Fuquan and Kate are buddies, they've been photographed together dating back a few years now. FJ is knee-deep in the L.A. comedy scene, as is Kate -- they kick it with the likes of Joey Diaz, Donnell Rawlings, Jay Pharoah, Jeff Ross, Chaunte Wayans and others.

Fuquan was 43.

RIP

A guy waded through waist-deep waters just to deliver grub to a hungry New Yorker during Hurricane Ida's massive flooding -- and one photog wants to ID him ... and get him paid!

The man in this video was filmed by Johnny Miller, who runs a freelance photography business -- among other ventures -- and who couldn't believe this dude got stuck on a food run for someone who might've used GrubHub, or any number of other delivery apps.

He wrote ... "And through it all! @Grubhub delivery still out there bringing your dinner #ida #flooding #brooklyn. Miller says this was in Willamsburg, around 10 PM on Wednesday.

The next day, Miller set out on a mission to actually find this dude, and give him some dough ... because the guy seems to need it if he's putting himself at risk for a gig job like this during a dangerous storm. And so, JM hit the streets ... using context clues he picked up on.

After a hard search in the same area, Miller says he came up empty -- this upon realizing he might've been using a generic Chinese takeout bag ... making it virtually impossible to pin him down. He even talked to other delivery bikers there, and they too had no clue.

Miller didn't give up ... requesting the help of the NYT, plus the general public. He's determined to locate the man and bring his story out in the open. Looks like he might've made some groundwork with an org called the Workers Justice Project, which dabbles in this field and might be able to assist in identifying the gig worker. Even AOC got in it!

She noted that now is NOT the time to be ordering delivery in NYC ... because some of these "deliveristas" might not have a choice but to work in these harsh conditions, and they shouldn't have to be subjected to that. The video has sparked larger talks about this type of work in general, with some pointing out these folks are legitimately underpaid and exploited.

BTW, this is far from the only bike food courier who's roughing in the flood ... there are other stories and images of workers doing the exact same thing -- and it's tough to see.

Drake appears to have leaked an unreleased Kanye West "Donda" track that didn't make the cut, which actually takes shots at the former ... a bizarre move that seems to have backfired.

Drizzy was guest hosting a session of Sound 42 on Sirius XM early Saturday morning -- which plays a ton of OVO-affiliated tunes ... and which Drake announced he'd be hopping on around 2 AM to mix in a few of his own selected tracks for listeners. He wasn't shy about it.

Sure enough, he did it ... but folks noticed that during his time, Drake actually dropped a Ye song that hadn't been heard before -- and which sounded like it was a missing "Donda" cut.

It's called "Life of the Party," and it features Andre 3000 -- who raps about his own late mother over a melancholy soul beat, killing his verse and kinda the whole song in the process. People are saying it's the best "Donda" song ... and wondering why it wasn't included.

Meanwhile, Kanye jumps on after for a couple verses, and takes some direct shots at Drake.

KW raps, "I put Virgil and Drake on the same text // And it wasn't about the matching Arc'teryx or Kid Cudi dress // Just told these grown men stop with the funny s***."

He goes on to name drop Drake again in the same verse, saying he told him to stop playing with him -- and then saying Drake "sent that message to everybody." It's unclear what exactly Ye's talking about -- he might be alluding the group text he sent, but that was Kanye who sent that warning shot ... not Drake. In any case, just more fuel to the fire for their beef.

It also seems like Kanye might be having problems with Cudi too -- because he name-dropped him as well ... and suggested that Drake and KC wear matching dresses. Funny enough Cudi is featured on both of these guys' albums -- just like Jay-Z and other rappers.

There's more that Kanye touches on in his part of the song -- including avoiding the over-sexualization of children in his household (an issue that's been addressed with North before) ... and he even makes a "red hat" mention toward the end. This onion's got unlimited layers.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida led to fatal flooding and destruction in New York and New Jersey, and the area's under a state of emergency Thursday as everyone deals with the aftermath.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in NYC for the first time -- not to mention a tornado watch -- as torrential rains flooded streets and subway lines, swept away cars, suspended flights, and destroyed buildings and homes overnight.

Sadly, the storm has also resulted in 9 reported deaths, including a mother and her 22-year-old son who were killed when a building partially collapsed in Queens.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio called the storm a "historic weather event" and warned citizens to stay inside and away from the dangerous conditions on the city streets. A travel ban was also imposed until 5 AM to keep people safe.

Photos and videos from the storm show just how terrifying and dangerous things got, with cars almost completely submerged on the streets and passengers standing on the seats of a bus trying to make its way down Broadway in Queens.

The severe storm conditions weren't limited to the Northeast either ... Cardi B's also dealing with flooding hundreds of miles south in her 22,000-sq-ft Atlanta-area mansion.

Todrick Hall's got a straightforward way of dealing with the Nashville wedding venue that turned away a gay couple -- don't give it any business, and keep fighting injustices ... because it's working.

We got the "American Idol" and "RuPaul's Drag Race" star at LAX and asked how he felt about Barn in the Bend's owner rejecting the same-sex ceremony request, citing religious beliefs as her reason.

Todrick believes it's actually an example of privilege -- heterosexual privilege -- and he's giving a shoutout to Mike Gill and his partner, Coty, for shedding light on it.

While Todrick acknowledges this sort of unfair treatment is still happening in 2021, his point is that people don't have to stand for it anymore ... and he hopes Mike and Coty find the wedding venue of their dreams that makes them feel welcome.

TMZ broke the story, Mike and Coty had reached out to a Nashville wedding venue in hopes of planning their big day. However, after some awkward emails, the venue owner revealed she wouldn't host a gay wedding ... citing her religious beliefs.

Dog the Bounty Hunter says he has more Black friends than Eminem, claims "the brothers" gave him a pass to use the n-word and says using the term doesn't make him racist.

The reality TV star made the comments during an interview with ET's Kevin Frazier, pushing back on allegations from his daughter, Bonnie Chapman, who claimed her dad is a racist, homophobic cheater.

Dog says he's never been a racist and says he gets labeled as such because of an "Achilles' heel" from back in the day ... a leaked phone call with his son where he used the n-word at least 6 times in a rant that got him canceled at A&E.

Dog says he used the n-word so freely because, "I thought I had a pass in the Black tribe to use it, kind of like Eminem."

Kevin, who is Black, asks Dog point-blank who gave him the pass ... with Dog saying "the brothers." When pressed, Dog says "the brothers" were Black inmates he interacted with when he was behind bars way back in the day, when the n-word got tossed around in what he saw as a "compliment."

Dog admits his alleged pass expired, but says no one told him so. He also says he's got tons of Black friends, more than even Eminem, and then gets ripped by Kevin.

As we reported ... Dog's daughter claims she didn't get invited to his wedding because she supports BLM, but Dog says he supports the movement too and says he's not a racist just because he uses the n-word.

We've all been there ... pulling up to McDonald's for a McFlurry late at night only to discover the machine is broken -- AGAIN. Enter the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC is looking into the case of those pesky machines, and why they constantly go down.

The problem has been the butt of late-night jokes. Wendy's and Jack in the Box have even targeted Mickey Dees on social media. The problem's been so persistent ... there's a website dubbed McBroken ... which tracks ice cream machine outages across the country.

The problem? McDonald's ice cream machines are overly complicated to operate and incredibly difficult to clean ... often making them susceptible to breaking down. According to the Wall Street Journal ... the machines require a nightly automated heat-cleaning cycle that can last up to 4 hours to get rid of the bacteria.

And, when the cleaning cycle fails, the machines become useless until a repairman comes along. That takes time, and sometimes employees take matters into their own hands.

But, the FTC's apparently had enough ... it sent a letter to franchisees earlier this summer. In the letter, obtained by the WSJ, the agency wants to know how McDonald's reviews suppliers and equipment, including the ice cream machines.

Simone Biles has proven yet again that her G.O.A.T. status extends far off the gymnastics floor ... 'cause she just helped gift her Olympics teammate Suni Lee's father with a new wheelchair -- and the amazing gesture was all captured on video.

24-year-old Biles surprised Suni's dad, John, on the "Today" show on Wednesday with the present ... revealing a new, state-of-art electronic ride with a sweet video message.

"Hi, Mr. Lee, it's Simone," Biles told John before showing him the present. "I love your daughter, Suni, so much and I know how much she loves you."

"You have done so much for her so I reached out to my friends at the 'Today' show to see if we could do something special for you. Hope you like it!"

John -- who was paralyzed from the chest down in 2019 after falling off a ladder -- was thrilled with the gift ... shouting, "Oh, wow!" when he first put his eyes on it.

The new wheels are a significant upgrade from John's manually operated wheelchair ... with the "Today" show saying the souped-up ride will eventually be custom-fitted for all his needs.

John said the new chair with make his and his family's life much easier ... adding, "This is amazing. Thank you, guys!"

A woman tried pulling a fast one by allegedly passing off a phony vaccine card to get around Hawaii's strict COVID protocol -- but she got caught red-handed ... thanks to a major typo.

24-year-old Chloe Mrozak of Illinois was arrested and booked last week for presenting fraudulent vaccination documents during a trip to the islands. She was actually successful in getting there with what cops call a bogus vax card.

Officials caught on to her, though, in part because she apparently misspelled Moderna ... writing in "Maderna" instead, not once but TWICE! Her card suggested she'd gotten the jabs in Delaware -- courtesy of a health org called the NRA. So yeah, the jig was up pretty fast.

Special agents coordinated to catch Mrozak on her way back to the mainland ... and sure enough, on August 28, they tracked her down at the airport in Honolulu, and took her in. Reports say officials found no evidence she'd actually been inoculated.

As for why she mighta gone to these lengths -- the operating theory is that she didn't wanna deal with Hawaii's mandatory 10-day quarantine rule for the unvaccinated.

A gay couple in Nashville was told they couldn't get married at the venue they wanted because of their sexual orientation, and the venue's owner certainly had an awkward way of turning them down.

Mike Gill tells us he recently got in touch with Jackie Daniel, who owns Barn in the Bend. Mike tells us he and his partner, Coty, thought the spot would be perfect, but it didn't take long for things between him and Jackie in email exchanges to get weird.

Mike says at some point, Jackie apparently figured out he was going to be marrying another man. She sent Mike an email, but it clearly stated the opposite of what she actually wanted to say -- It read, "We offer same sex marriage ceremonies only."

Jackie apparently figured out her mistake and fired off another email about an hour later with a different signature, saying, "We do not offer same sex marriage ceremonies."

Mike told Jackie he'd let everyone in the area know that BITB was bigoted, but Jackie let him know her decision was based on her religious beliefs, saying, "I wish you the best in life and the best future in all that you do."

While Mike and Coty are pissed -- they may be fighting an uphill battle. You'll recall the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was permissible for a baker to refuse to decorate a cake for a gay couple based on religious convictions. That case isn't the same as Mike and Coty's, and it's unclear how SCOTUS would rule.

As for Mike and Coty, they tell us they don't want anything from Jackie and BITB -- just to make it known gay couples aren't welcome at the venue -- and are working to lock down a more inclusive spot.

John Schneider's production studio lot in Louisiana has been ravaged by Hurricane Ida, and while his life was spared, the actor needs some help.

The 'Dukes of Hazzard' star's movie/TV magic sanctuary in Holden, LA got torn up this week as Ida continues to rip through the area. Among the casualties on his property was a massive tree that toppled over, crashing down onto his orange "General Lee" stunt car.

Don't worry ... it ain't John's one and only -- he has several models on hand.

John's rep tells us he's doing just fine, but was off the grid for a while due to bad cell service ... he's leaving for Nashville in just a few hours.

With that said ... JS uploaded a video that's pretty sad to watch considering the devastation he -- and thousands of other Louisianans -- are going through right now. He's asking the public to give him a hand by going to his studio store and buying merch ... which is gonna go a long way to getting the place up and running again.

Forget about where Justin Bieber gets his peaches -- the better question is where he shaves his legs ... at least based on this hilarious billboard swap that has him slipping into Kim Kardashian's underwear line.

Check out this giant tower-sized Balenciaga ad on a Sunset Strip building with Bieber as its leather-jacketed star -- but as you can see, he's lost his lower half somewhere along the way.

Instead of JB's lower abdomen and legs, you see a different set of body parts ... seemingly belonging to a woman rocking SKIMS, Kim's shapewear company.

It's pretty hilarious -- it looks almost intentional due to how seamlessly JB's top mixes with the SKIMS bottom. Even the SKIMS model's arms appear to line up almost perfectly with the Biebs'.

Of course, this had to have been a massive mistake. We can't see a crew working on it in the pic ... but we're guessing they were in the middle of swapping from one ad to the other.

P!nk seems quite concerned a teen influencer is being used by her parents in an unsettling way -- but the kid's speaking for herself, saying she is in the driver's seat here.

Piper Rockelle -- a YouTuber who just turned 14 -- tells TMZ ... "The first thing I want everyone to know is that my mom doesn't make me do anything. Quite the opposite, I'm a kid who had a dream and my mom is amazing enough to help me live it out."

She adds this of P!nk's worries ... "I don't think P!nk has ever seen one of my YouTube videos because if she did she'd see it's just my friends and me having fun and acting like ourselves. The content we make is the kind of stuff anyone can watch."

ICYMI ... P!nk took to social media over the weekend to address what she considered the over-sexualization of children -- and specifically name-dropped Piper to make her point. The singer seemed to take exception with a bikini photo posted to Piper's IG recently.

Piper touches on that too, telling us she rocked the bikini 'cause ... well, it's summer, adding she doesn't see anything sexual about a 14-year-old wearing a 2-piece in and of itself.

The YT'er told us she just did a crash course on P!nk, and learned she started following her dreams for stardom right around the same age Piper is now ... so, she questions why P!nk's giving her flak for doing the same thing.

The U.S. Marine who got relieved of his duties for criticizing the U.S. Afghanistan pull-out is beating his bosses to the punch by quitting -- but not before going off about a psych evaluation he says he was asked to undergo, and lots more.

Lt. Colonel Stuart Scheller is getting his feelings out on social media after his dramatic announcement -- that he'd been disciplined for speaking out on the way the U.S. handled the withdrawal.

In a new YouTube vid he said he'd actually be resigning, and turning down a lucrative retirement he's owed to avoid being silenced -- but he also pointed out this was far from dishonorable as some might suggest. He dared superiors to ask anyone he served with about about his rep in battle.

While Scheller repeatedly says he's not considering legal action just yet ... it sure sounds like he might be soon, because he ominously warns this is far from over.

Then on FB, he addressed another issue Monday ... claiming his commanding officer asked him to get a mental health checkup, because they were apparently worried about his first video last week.

Scheller says he gets why that request was made, but he feels reducing behavior like this to a PTSD claim is perhaps the biggest disservice the U.S. military can do to any of its members.

He goes on to say all he wanted from leadership was accountability and a confession that the mission was botched -- but because of what he characterizes as a system of silence and following orders no matter what, he didn't get that ... so he's exiting on his own terms.

A Southern California teacher is in the hot seat for suggesting her students pledge allegiance to the Pride flag ... instead of the American flag.

The lady's name is Kristin Pitzen, and she works for the Newport Mesa School District in Orange County -- which can lean pretty conservative compared to L.A. To that point, she apparently pissed off a lot of parents and Twitter users over this video she posted.

Check it out ... Pitzen says she packed away the U.S. flag in her classroom during COVID -- because it made her uncomfortable -- and hasn't been able to find it (nor does she seem to want to). The lady's giggling through her story pretty much the whole way through.

Fast-forward to the 2021 school year, where she says some students -- at least those who've chosen to partake, that is -- have asked what they're supposed to pledge allegiance to during the morning announcements ... seeing how Pitzen still hasn't gotten Old Glory back up yet.

She jokingly says she told one of the students who asked her that ... well, there's one flag they could pledge to if they wanted -- and pans to the rainbow flag behind her.

The video has reportedly triggered outrage in the community for a variety of reasons -- some feel like she's "indoctrinating" their children while others feel she was just outright disrespectful to the flag and the U.S. by extension ... especially hurtful during this Afghanistan moment.

Offset is going from Main Street to Wall Street -- and he's doing it with his wifey by his side ... as they celebrate their music publishing company going public.

The rapper couple was on hand Monday at the NYSE in Times Square to do the honors of ringing the opening bell. Well, Offset did anyway ... but Cardi B was right there too for moral support. They posed for some photo-ops too as they hyped their new venture.

If you hadn't heard, Offset and the Migos' music catalog now belongs to Reservoir Media -- or RSVR -- which has snapped up a ton of masters and rights for a variety of artists in recent months, this as they were ramping up for an IPO last month.

The company hit the exchange in July, but now -- a month later -- the Wall Street heads invited Offset, Cardi and other Reservoir investors for a belated celebration ... and let 'em have some fun with the age-old bell-ringing tradition in the process.

We got Offset on his way out, and he made it pretty clear that this is something he's excited to be a part of -- not just because it's one the first female-led businesses of its kind to put itself out there, but because there's something in it for him and other musicians.

The idea behind Reservoir, it seems, is putting the power of publishing and control back into the actual artists' hands, and based on what Offset says here ... he's all about that.