Viral

A Russian sumo wrestler who used to be known as the "world's heaviest boy" has reportedly died at a very young age ... this after years of concern about his extreme weight.

Dzhambulat Khatokhov recently passed away, per Betal Gubzhev -- president of Sumo and Mass Wrestling Federation in Kabardino-Balkaria ... that's where Khatokhov had lived and grew up wrestling. A cause of death is unknown, but word is he'd lately had kidney problems.

The guy was a worldwide phenomenon for a couple reasons -- for one, he competed on the mat, but also other strength challenges (like arm wrestling) and proved to be successful at a young age. Second ... he was absolutely enormous size-wise, especially for his age.

At birth, reports say he only weighed in at around 6 lbs -- but by his first birthday ... he already clocked in at over 28 pounds and continued growing heavier and heavier. By the time he was nine, they say he weighed well over 300 pounds.

Khatokhov became the subject of much speculation, and the focus of several documentaries over the course of his life. Different experts examined him, and most expressed worry his life expectancy would be drastically shorter than normal kids his age.

You might think there was some sort of genetic defect he was dealing with that was causing his excessive weight gain and growth, but according to his mom there was nothing doctors could find to explain it.

She reportedly said this is just how God made her boy, and she, apparently, believed he was fully healthy.

Khatokhov was just 21.

Beverly Hills' La Scala restaurant is backtracking after word got out about their not-so-secret invites to an NYE shindig -- saying the invitation text was screwed up, and it was only happening IF the state and county gave the green light.

La Scala's IG account posted a new statement addressing the backlash they've received since photos of their invitations were posted online ... and they're apologizing for the misunderstanding, while also telling people who are outraged to kinda shove it.

Here's what the invite SHOULD HAVE said ... "With the dining ban set to expire on Dec. 28th we are hopeful of resuming some sort of table service and we are considering taking reservations for New Year's Eve. If this is something you would be interested in, please let us know. If allowed, and if there's enough interest, we'll contact you to secure a reservation."

That's much different from what made it on paper in the end. Remember, the invite played like a '20s-era Prohibition thing ... which included the word "speakeasy," suggesting their plans were on the DL. La Scala says that was a mistake, and the writer was just trying to have some fun. They insist they weren't planning on doing anything illegal.

With their intention cleared up, La Scala also says ... "If you can find fault in that, there is nothing more we can say. No harm was meant." They also say that while they're a famous establishment ... they're also just a local business trying to make ends meet in hard times.

The only problem with La Scala's thinking is they might've been too hopeful things would be getting back to normal anytime soon.

Lil Pump will NOT be flying with JetBlue anymore -- at least that's what the airline's saying, because it claims he refused to wear a mask while up in the air.

A rep for JB tells TMZ ... a customer on one of their Saturday flights from Fort Lauderdale to L.A. became verbally abusive with crew members, and also took off his face covering mid-flight ... and then failed to put it back on, even when asked.

We're told JetBlue called in to LAX to tell them to have cops on standby -- apparently he was that unruly -- but it doesn't appear Pump was arrested when they touched down. LAX Airport Police tell us they have no record of an arrest or incident involving the rapper.

TMZ has also obtained correspondence from the flight deck that day -- in which the captain was detailing exactly what LP was doing ... and what needed to happen when they arrived. At first, he says Pump was simply noncompliant with their mask policy, but later said he was sneezing and coughing into a blanket sans mask (perhaps on purpose) ... and that more than just a supervisor needed to meet them, as Pump had to be dealt with "firmly."

The last correspondence sent says Pump finally obliged and put on his mask -- but the dude wasn't finished with JetBlue at that point ... he later took to social media to cuss 'em out.

In a since-deleted video, Lil Pump says "f*** JetBlue," and goes on to say he will NEVER wear a mask in 2021. Seems like his pro-Trump vibes are still going strong post-election.

'Real Housewives of Dallas' star D'Andra Simmons is bedridden in a hospital due to COVID-19 -- the first cast member from the Bravo shows who's gotten this ill.

Simmons' condition was first announced by podcast host Kate Casey, who says ... "Just heard from D’Andra and she is asking for your prayers. She’s in the hospital and struggling."

A rep for D'Andra has confirmed she's in bad shape.

The rep says D'Andra's been admitted into the COVID ward at UT Southwestern Hospital. It's unclear when she contracted the virus, or how long she's been at the hospital ... but her team says her oxygen levels have been borderline, and she's starting Remdesivir.

That's one of the anti-viral drugs President Trump was given when he came down with COVID -- part of the cocktail of therapeutics he says helped him recover quickly.

Simmons' diagnosis and health status is noteworthy -- as she appears to be the only 'Real Housewife' who's had to get checked in and treated for coronavirus. Others have had it -- including 'RHOBH' stars Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton and Dorit Kemsley, but none required hospitalization.

As we've reported ... Bravo production crews have taken several steps to help keep the different 'Housewives' sets as safe as possible. They're requiring masks on everyone who isn't on-camera, they're doing temp checks, they're mostly shooting outdoors ... and everyone's encouraged to spread out. Still, despite that, some stars and others on set have caught it.

The parents of a Black teen falsely accused of stealing a white woman's phone say they dreaded the idea of having to tell him his race might've been the trigger ... but they did.

Jazz musician Keyon Harrold and his wife, Kat, joined us Monday on 'TMZ Live' after a disturbing episode at the Arlo Hotel in NYC this weekend ... where Keyon captured what many might consider a "Karen" insisting his 14-year-old had stolen her misplaced phone ... which was NOT true.

After she lunged at the boy and demanded a manager force him to give her his phone ... Keyon says her device was eventually returned by an Uber driver, who'd found it in his car. So, she was wrong after all -- and Keyon, at the time, said nobody offered an apology.

Fast-forward a couple days ... and it's clear the family is still rattled by an incident they say was likely fueled by racism. Keyon says he honestly doesn't know why the woman assumed his son, of all people, had her phone ... explaining he was dumbfounded in the moment.

The boy's mother, Kat, detailed the excruciating conversation she had after the fact when her son asked why he might've been singled out ... and her answering with the fact that his skin color possibly had something to do with it. It's gut-wrenching hearing her break it down.

A homeless man in Atlanta is a true hero after risking his own life by running into a burning animal shelter and rescuing 16 dogs and cats.

Keith Walker saw the burning building and couldn't just sit there and wait. He jumped into action.

The 53-year-old didn't pretend he wasn't scared, saying, "I was nervous as hell. I'm not going to lie. I was really scared to go in there with all that smoke. But God put me there to save those animals."

The fire was said to have started in the kitchen and been an electrical fire

Turns out Walker, who's been homeless since he was 13, loves dogs, saying, "If you love a dog, you can love anyone in the world. My dog is my best friend, and I wouldn't be here without him, so I knew I had to save all those other dogs."

Walker has a pit bull named Bravo, and the owner of the W-Underdogs shelter, let him keep the dog there every night.

Walker was on his way to pick up Bravo for a walk when he saw the flames. The owner of the shelter, Gracie Hamlin, said, "Even the firefighters didn't want to handle the dogs. They called animal control, but Keith was already in the building pulling out the cats and dogs until they were all safe." In all, Walker saved 6 dogs and 10 cats.

Hamlin was beyond grateful ... "I can't thank him enough for saving my animals," adding, "I'm still in disbelief because I've been around a fire and I know how fast they flare-up. He is my hero."

Denying there's a pandemic is one thing, and then there's this ... actively, and disgustingly, committing a crime by intentionally spitting on someone -- and, stupidly, doing it on camera.

This Trump supporter went face-to-face with Black Lives Matter protesters over the weekend in Swampscott, MA. The guy who posted the video claims the man in shades and a Trump 2020 cap just turned to him, unprovoked, yelled "all lives matter" ... then started hacking and spitting.

The video is pretty graphic ... when ya see this jerk loading up to spit, which he did at least twice, on people standing across from him. As if this video wasn't enough evidence ... a police officer on scene witnessed the crime.

It's called assault and battery or unwanted touching -- and that does include spitting on someone -- and it's a crime. Cops were there observing the protest, and did cite the guy for assault.

This vile individual is clearly ignoring the images of patients packed into hospital ICUs, stressed nurses and doctors ... or the fact more than 330,000 Americans are already dead from COVID-19. But, intentionally doing what's seen here?

A couple's refusal to wear face masks inside a Sephora, spilled into a parking lot confrontation where one guy hurled Asian ethnic slurs.

In this video, you see the guy behind the wheel of a Jeep get out of his car as he's yelling "go back to China," and calling the person recording him a "stupid g**k."

According to witnesses, this all started Sunday inside Sephora in Irvine, CA ... and the couple in the video allegedly refused to wear masks, which upset nearby customers ... including the woman recording this video.

They met again in the parking lot just outside the store ... and on top of hurling epithets, the guy charged toward the woman in a threatening way, saying ... "Are you really that stupid? You know that recording doesn't do anything."

Doesn't look like police got involved this time, and the guy threw one more bigoted parting shot as he pulled away -- "Stay home, and thanks for giving my country COVID."

Kudos to the woman who got the brunt of this hate speech -- she's choosing to focus on positives, and posted ... "I understand there's always unfortunate people living in hate. It's pathetic."

Authorities have confirmed the identity of the Nashville bomber -- it's who everyone thought it might be, and his fate is also sealed ... the guy's a goner.

The U.S. Attorney for Tennessee made the revelation Sunday at a presser, saying 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner is, indeed, the man they believe detonated a bomb in an RV that was camped out in front of the AT&T building in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning.

He also said Warner died at the bomb site, and that human tissue discovered -- and later analyzed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation -- matched Warner's DNA profile.

As for the RV ... officials say that, too, also belonged to Warner. They linked the VIN number to him. It appears the vehicle had been in his possession for a while, as it had been seen parked at his property as recently as last year. Neighbors also ID'd it in interviews.

Still no word on motive -- although there's speculation he might've been paranoid about 5G tech, but that hasn't been confirmed. The feds also say they can't link his act to any type of ideology they've picked up on in the early days of their investigation. As a result, they aren't dubbing it as terrorism just yet.

Fortunately, Warner himself is the only fatality from the bombing ... which is pretty miraculous considering how big it was. A few people were injured, but not critically.

The moments leading up to the explosion add an extra layer of unease as the why continues to be a mystery ... Warner had an alarm blaring for several minutes telling people to evacuate, and then right before his bomb went off -- cops say he played Petula Clark's "Downtown."

Surrounding businesses were decimated in the blast -- not to mention other damage to public property -- and several shopkeepers are looking for help as they navigate next steps.

2020 was the year of 'rona, but 2021 could be another year plagued with a new ailment that's apparently on the come up ... "super gonorrhea," which is getting a COVID assist.

The World Health Organization (WHO) told the Sun a mutant, more powerful strain of the burning STD is spreading worldwide ... partly because of the pandemic, which has gotten more people on drugs and antibiotics -- plus, limited their access to healthcare.

The WHO rep says, "Overuse of antibiotics in the community can fuel the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea. Azithromycin -- a common antibiotic for treating respiratory infections -- was used for Covid-19 treatment earlier in the epidemic."

This is true ... in the early days of the virus, docs and hospitals were prescribing azithromycin, thinking it could help ward off problems caused by COVID -- but the therapeutic has recently been debunked as mostly ineffective.

There's more though ... the WHO rep goes on to explain STI services have been severely curtailed due to shutdowns and all ... and because of this a lot of people have gone undiagnosed and untreated, which could have led to super gonorrhea spreading.

As a result ... the regular form of gonorrhea we all know and love has gotten stronger and more resistant to antibiotics that would normally kill it (like azithromycin). Not only that, but having it increases your chances of contracting HIV by at least 5 times ... so there are bigger ramifications.

So, what's the solution??? A few things, according to medical experts ... new treatments for one, less prescribing of antibiotics unless necessary, and maybe more protection during sex.

The Nashville bomber made a game out of his terror plot ... he not only amplified his 15-minute warning to authorities, he wanted the area to reverberate with a classic song that has a connection to the area.

Authorities and others in the area heard the song, "Downtown" by Petula Clark blaring from the RV that eventually exploded, wreaking havoc in Nashville's downtown area.

A police spokesperson who clearly was unfamiliar with the song by butchering the singer's name -- he's got an excuse because he's too young to know the tune -- said the song is all about shining lights and such.

As we reported, authorities are looking at a person of interest ... 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner, who had an RV that looked just like the one that exploded and has not been seen since the bombing. He's also the right age to know the song, which became a massive hit in 1964.

There's another verse -- the opening one, actually -- that could be more telling ... "When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go, downtown."

Jennifer Aniston has something in common this Xmas with chestnuts -- they're both getting roasted.

Aniston's getting dragged for posting a pic of an engraved, circular wooden ornament with the inscription, "Our first pandemic 2020."

Lots of folks felt Jen was trying to be inappropriately cute over a disease that has taken the lives of more than 300,000 Americans and steadily counting.

Aniston has not responded to the criticism.

It's the first blowback Aniston has gotten since joining Instagram in October, 2019 which shattered records for the fastest growing celeb on the platform.

Aniston scored nearly 5 million followers in just 12 hours after posting a selfie with Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry. Her followers have grown to 36 million.

The Nashville bomber may have had a motive that had nothing to do with hurting people ... it seems the FBI believes he may have been paranoid over 5G technology.

As you know, one of the structures damaged was the AT&T building. The person of interest authorities are honing in on -- 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner -- may have feared 5G was being used to spy on Americans ... this according to a report by the NBC affiliate in Nashville.

The FBI interviewed a Nashville real estate agent who had hired Warner to do IT for him. Agents asked the realtor if Warner had mentioned anything about his feelings toward 5G technology, but he had not.

As we reported, Warner had an RV on his property that was similar to the one carrying explosives that detonated Xmas Day in the business district of Nashville, knocking out AT&T service.

There's another interesting turn ... Warner apparently had conveyed the property to a 29-year-old woman last month ... this according to the NY Post. He transferred title without charging her a penny. The woman told The Post she had no knowledge of the transfer.

Rapper Lil Tjay had his music video shoot unceremoniously interrupted by New York cops, and it's unclear why he was targeted.

The 19-year-old rapper was shooting the vid when cops searched his car. Lil Tjay hopped on Instagram during the stop and recorded it.

A crowd gathered around the vehicle as NYPD cops conducted the search. It's unclear if anything was found.

A crowd gathered around to watch what happened. Lil Tjay, who is one of the biggest new rappers of last year, was not arrested.

Tjay has had trouble with the law in the past, but it's unclear if that had anything to do with the encounter.

We contacted the NYPD to find out why they stopped Tjay ... they said they are putting together a response and would let us know.

Jamar Mackey says the Virginia Beach Police Department's apology for an embarrassing case of mistaken identity rings hollow ... and he wants big changes at the PD.

Jamar, the innocent man who was ripped from his family and handcuffed at a mall because he supposedly matched the description of an alleged credit card fraudster, tells TMZ ... police chief Paul Neudigate is just saying sorry because the incident got national attention.

His fiancée, Shantel Covil, says they want more than an on-camera apology ... they want new rules, laws and police reform ... and they want the officer fired.

The video shows the moment Jamar was yanked from his family while they were eating in a mall food court, with the officer immediately placing him in handcuffs and taking him outside in a humiliating perp walk. Cops finally admitted they had the wrong guy.

The Police Chief apologized a few days after the incident, once it started getting attention ... and while he said he wants to reach out to Jamar to hash things out, Jamar and Shantel tell us no one from the PD has followed through.

An anti-masker pitched a fit at a CVS Saturday ... insisting she doesn't have to wear a mask because she's healthy and shows no symptoms ... and she dared them to call the cops.

It went down in L.A., where COVID is out of control. She approached the counter and got immediate pushback from staff who said she wouldn't get service unless she wore a mask.

The woman blanched at that, firing back it's "nonsensical" to treat healthy people like they're sick. The staff properly asked how she knew she was healthy ... she said she had no symptoms and felt fine. Of course, people with COVID can feel fine in the early stages and, for that matter, even as the disease progresses and still transmit the disease.

She seemed to be saying 2 things ... suggesting she has an underlying condition and can't be refused service, and then saying she's a perfectly healthy person.

A nurse who happened to be in the store tried explaining how bad COVID has ravaged L.A., but she wasn't having it, saying "asymptomatic spread has been shown to be a myth."

She claimed she's entitled to service. Fact is ... they have an absolute right to deny her service. If a store demands someone wear a mask and they won't, they can pitch a fit all they want ... they're not entitled to service.