TMZ.com

Larry King's wife, Shawn, is not going to declare war on her now-estranged husband who just filed for divorce ... because she's been told by doctors he's dying.

Sources who have spoken directly with Shawn tell TMZ, Shawn has had issues with Larry for years -- and Larry with her -- but she says there's a bigger issue. Larry's been in and out of the hospital over the last 6 months, and she says doctors have told her Larry doesn't have much longer to live.

We're told Larry was at Cedars-Sinai Cardiac ICU in late April, at the same time John Singleton was in ICU. Our sources say doctors told her Larry might only have a short time to live -- they were clearly wrong. Larry was transferred to a 24-hour care facility and then went back to the hospital.

TMZ broke the story ... Larry filed for divorce Tuesday because we're told their 2 kids came to him and urged him to divorce her. A source on Shawn's side says only one of their children urged him to divorce her.

As for what triggered things ... we're told Shawn came to Larry's bedside and asked him to adjust his will/trust. Sources connected to Larry say Shawn's endgame was to get more for herself and screw the kids out of their inheritance. Sources on Shawn's side call BS, saying the estate planning lawyer told Larry and Shawn to update the docs and when she was told he had days to live she was merely following through, but in no way tried to screw over her kids.

The couple would have celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in 2 weeks. This is his 8th marriage.

It's just about time for Tekashi 6ix9ine to pay the piper, testifying in open court against his alleged kidnappers ... while knowing full well it could make his family members targets of gang retaliation.

The rapper -- who's currently incarcerated on federal racketeering charges -- is expected to testify next month about the kidnapping and assault he claims he fell victim to in 2018. Cops arrested a suspect in the case, who pled not guilty, and also claims Tekashi made up the whole thing.

FYI, the guy calling BS -- Anthony Ellison -- was formerly part of Tekashi's management team and cops believe he's affiliated with the Nine Trey Bloods, the same gang Tekashi was with prior to his bust. Bottom line ... they know each other well.

That's what makes this situation messy for Tekashi -- he's currently preparing to point the finger at this guy, and the potential ramifications are very serious. Sources connected to the case tell TMZ, 6ix9ine's crapping his pants over testifying -- worried about how his mother and brother could be harmed, and also for his own safety behind bars. We're told he knows this could make him a marked man for life.

Case in point ... look what happened to notorious mobster Whitey Bulger last year in prison.

We already know 6ix9ine has shelled out thousands for security to protect his mom, but even with that ... we're told he feels there's nowhere for his loved ones to hide if the Nine Trey Bloods want to get even with him for snitching.

There's really no way out of this jam for Tekashi ... he's required to cooperate with the feds, so if they want him to testify, he's gotta sing. His last hope would be for Ellison and prosecutors to strike an 11th-hour deal.

Barring that ... we're told Tekashi will look kinda different on the stand -- same face tats, but hardly any rainbow hair these days. Not a ton of salon time in prison ...

'Dukes of Hazzard' star John Schneider was NOT a good ole boy when it came to dealing with his ex-wife, and the judge in their divorce is making him pay hundreds of thousands to make amends.

Yes, the divorce that's been nearly 5 years in the making is finally done ... and the judge said John screwed over Elvira Schneider by selling off one of their properties in Louisiana without splitting the cash. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, he also drained one of their IRA accounts.

As a result, Elvira's getting sole ownership of their California property worth $600,000, and she's also been awarded another IRA worth $60k.

One more big ticket penalty for John -- the judge ordered him to cover Elvira's legal fees in the divorce, and that's gonna cost him another $279k.

John also has to pay Elvira $25k per month in spousal support, and she gets a cut of his Screen Actors Guild pension.

TMZ broke the story, Elvira filed for divorce way back in December 2014. Since then, John was sentenced to 3 days in L.A. County jail for failing to pay temporary spousal support.

The guy who appeared, ON VIDEO, to swipe Frances McDormand's Oscar for Best Actress at the 2017 Academy Awards is walking away scot-free ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us 47-year-old Terry Bryant will not be prosecuted. As for why ... well, Bryant should send a big fat thank you to Frances.

We're told she was not willing to cooperate with investigators, so a judge dismissed the whole matter. Law enforcement sources tell us Frances wasn't down to work with cops from the beginning because she was embarrassed by the whole caper. She had merely left her Oscar to be engraved at the end of the ceremony, and then it turned into a whole media circus.

We're told Frances didn't even want to file a police report, but because the Academy of Motion Pictures actually owns the statuette ... it was listed as the victim, not Frances. However, she was the witness and prosecutors needed her testimony.

The D.A. tells us, "The District Attorney’s Office today told the court that we are unable to proceed at this time. The defense moved to dismiss the case, and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta dismissed it."

You'll recall ... Frances' golden statue went missing after the broadcast when she was backstage talking to the media. Bryant was seen parading around with an Oscar that was later identified as McDormand's ... and was eventually arrested.

McDormand won the statuette for her portrayal in 'Three Billboards,' and in her epic speech ... she called on more diversity in the industry, from top to bottom.

The L.A. school funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is about to face new claims of bullying -- including one incident involving a 14-year-old trying to kill herself.

Sources tell TMZ ... there is a new lawsuit about to be filed by the same lawyers at Geragos & Geragos who filed the first suit against the Animo Westside Charter Middle School. As TMZ first showed you ... that initial suit surrounds this video of one student choking another, whose parents claim he suffered permanent brain damage in the incident.

We're told the forthcoming suit documents the alleged bullying experienced by a now-14-year-old girl, who's claiming she too was mercilessly bullied last year on the campus ... and the school failed to stop it.

Our sources say the girl is claiming to have suffered both physical and verbal abuse from multiple students, with one girl leading the pack. We're told it got so bad, the alleged victim started cutting herself ... and months later, attempted suicide.

She had to be hospitalized on a psychiatric hold as a result. Her family is blaming the school as well as Green Dot -- the organization that operates the school.

Bill and Melinda Gates are not being sued, and neither is their foundation ... which has donated more than $7 million to Green Dot.

We're told the girl's family believes there is video of at least some of the bullying incidents she allegedly endured -- and their attorneys are working on getting their hands on it.

Our sources also say since we broke the story about the brain-damaged student ... several other parents have contacted attorneys with similar complaints about severe bullying at Animo Westside.

Chris Brown doesn't have to worry about a criminal case against him in Florida anymore -- the charge for allegedly sucker punching a photographer has been dropped.

It's a huge win for the singer, who got arrested last year after the altercation with a photog in a Tampa nightclub called AJA Channelside. We got some video of the alleged incident, but the State's Attorney's Office tells us, "After a thorough review of the facts and information from the alleged victim, our office determined there was insufficient evidence to prosecute."

More specifically, sources with knowledge of the case tell TMZ ... the photog "lacked credibility."

In case you need a refresher, Chris was booked to appear at the club, and according to club management ... Chis and co. were pissed the photog was snapping pics of them when they'd already tried shutting him down and refused any photos. Apparently, the guy kept at it while Chris was in a DJ booth, and CB allegedly lost it.

The photog says Chris socked him in the mouth, and caused some gnarly injuries. Chris was able to leave that night uncuffed, but about a year later ... he was nabbed by cops on an open warrant for his arrest when he returned to the Sunshine State.

As we reported, officers were waiting in the wings at Chris' concert in West Palm Beach last year, and after he was done performing ... they took him in to the station, where he posed for this mug shot. He was released shortly afterward on $2,000 bond.

Chris has gotta be happy about this -- considering he's still got an open rape investigation going on in France. He has not been charged there.

Two days before he died, Jeffrey Epstein made sure his affairs were in order -- signing a will that lays out where he's putting $577 million, and who's calling the shots.

Epstein signed his will on August 8 -- 2 days before his body was discovered at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center -- and the doc was filed last week in the U.S. Virgin Islands ... where the ex-hedge fund manager owned 2 islands worth tens of millions.

The eerie timing aside ... Epstein's will lays out the total amount he's dumping into a trust ... a whopping $577,672,654. Keep in mind, the trust might already have even more cash in there -- we just don't know as the trust docs aren't public.

As for who stands to inherit that massive fortune -- there are no beneficiaries listed. Although, he does list "next of kin" as his brother, Mark Epstein ... but that doesn't guarantee he's inheriting anything. Again, the trust would spell that out.

The docs, first posted by the New York Post, say his executors are Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn ... each of whom will get $250k for carrying out Epstein's final wishes.

Here's a quick breakdown of Epstein's assets, per the will. $56 million-plus in cash, a little over $14 mil in fixed income, nearly $113 mil in equities, about $195 mil in hedge funds and private equity ... not to mention 6 properties/estates worth well over $178 million.

Lil Yachty is looking at Boosie Badazz's weed case in Georgia with a glass-half-full type of mentality -- and doesn't seem to think he'll do jail time if convicted.

We got the rapper Saturday cruising around in Atlanta in a red Ferrari with a beautiful gal riding passenger, and asked what he made of Boosie's legal predicament there ... where he's currently facing two felonies and possible jail time for a little bit of weed.

TMZ broke the story ... the Coweta County D.A. hit the Louisiana MC with two charges -- possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance -- which are both felonies and carry max sentences of at least 1 year in prison, depending on how many grams he had on him at the time of his bust in April.

Yachty plays the semantics game with us, trying to get to bottom of what the reality of the situation is. Our camera guy got it right though -- Boosie's facing this sentence, which doesn't necessarily mean it's been handed down yet ... or that he'll actually receive it.

That's key for Yachty, who says there's an important word here giving him a feeling that Boosie probably won't be sent back to jail for this one.

Time will tell, we suppose. Remember, Boosie was sent to prison back in 2009 on drug charges in his home state -- which initially started with a marijuana charge -- that him kept him locked up for several years. He was ultimately released early in 2014.

Prosecutors in the R. Kelly cases revealed some of the evidence they have to prove R. Kelly took underage women across state lines for sexual purposes.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, federal prosecutors in New York have more than a dozen flight records, birth certificates for a number of women, hotel receipts, bank records, medical records and various other business documents. They also have Uber records, photos and text messages.

One of the hotel receipts is for the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. Another is for the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and the Planet Hollywood resort in Vegas.

The end game for prosecutors is to prove R. Kelly violated the Mann Act, which makes it a crime for people to transport people across state lines for illicit sexual purposes.

Kelly is facing criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions -- New York federal court, Illinois federal court, Illinois state court and Minnesota state court.

Jussie Smollett is ready to go on the offensive against the City of Chicago, which is suing him for the cost of investigating what City officials believe was a fake "attack" ... because he's now threatening to file a lawsuit of his own.

Jussie just said in legal docs in the City's case -- where it wants around a half a mil for various costs associated with investigating Jussie's claim he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack last January.

The former "Empire" actor says he's seriously thinking about filing a lawsuit against Chi-Town, "for their conduct underlying the arrest and their conduct thereafter." Translation -- he thinks he's the victim of a malicious prosecution.

R. Kelly believes Michael Jackson's attorney is just the guy he needs to help set him free -- but if that happens, it's gonna come at a steep cost.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly met with famed lawyer Tom Mesereau -- who beat the rap for Michael Jackson back in 2005. We're told after the 4-hour meeting, Kelly was in hook, line and sinker. We're told Mesereau hasn't agreed to rep Kelly -- at least not yet -- but it could very well happen.

Here's the rub. Mesereau is one of the best and most sought after criminal defense lawyers in the country. He's turned prosecutors flat-footed in trials where it seemed open-and-shut against his client. Did we mention he scored a not guilty verdict for accused wife murderer Robert Blake?

That said, Tom doesn't come cheap, and money has become super tight in Kelly's world. He's already hired a battery of lawyers, and he's making next to nothing.

We're told Kelly and his team are trying to figure out ways to raise the money to hire Mesereau.

As for why the singer wants to 86 his current attorney, Steve Greenberg, and his team -- our sources say R. Kelly believes they care way too much about getting media attention for themselves ... Greenberg calls the whole thing, "A complete load of crap."

R. Kelly's financial woes have been well documented -- he needed outside help to pay his initial $100k bond, and spent additional time behind bars because he couldn't ante up $161k in back child support to ex-wife Drea Kelly. He's currently paying Drea $21k/month in support.

We're told if Mesereau is brought on, attorney Raed Shalabi -- who also visited with Kelly Wednesday -- will likely join the team too.

The criminal cases keep piling on. Kelly was recently hit with more sex crime charges, this time in Minnesota, where prosecutors say the disgraced singer once paid a teenage girl to have sexual contact with him in his hotel room.

Justice is served!

Deborah Sue Culwell -- the woman who was caught on surveillance video tossing 7 pups into a dumpster in Coachella earlier this year -- has pled guilty and been sentenced to 1 year in jail.

The sentence, which also includes 6 years' probation after her time behind bars, was reduced to 174 days with credit for time served.

Culwell was originally charged with 7 felony counts of animal cruelty, plus 7 misdemeanor counts of abandoning the dogs – and she pled guilty to all 14 charges. She was initially facing up to 7 years behind bars, so it's surprisingly good luck for the Cruella de Vil wannabe.

In addition to the jail time, she must undergo random drug testing, and also complete mental health counseling. She also cannot possess any animals during the probation. Thank God.

At the time of the bust, the 54-year-old animal abuser reportedly had 38 other dogs in her custody.

As we reported, the woman was caught in April casually dropping a plastic bag filled with 3-day-old puppies into a dumpster, with temperatures hovering around the mid-90s.

A Good Samaritan dug the lil guys out of the trash. He alerted authorities and the animals were taken to Riverside County Animal Services.

6 of the 7 puppies survived, and the case triggered mass outrage across the country. The 6 pups all went into foster care and we're told several were adopted.

The man who brutally killed Ashton Kutcher's friend has just been found guilty of 2 counts of first degree murder.

The jury in Michael Gargiulo's murder trial returned its verdict Thursday ... finding him guilty of killing two women with a knife in California, including Ashton's friend, Ashley Ellerin. Jury deliberations began Monday.

Gargiulo will move onto the sanity phase of the trial, which will determine if he was sane during the killings, and this will begin on Tuesday.

As we reported ... Ashton took the stand back in May, going in front of the jury on behalf of his slain friend and providing crucial testimony.

Ashton said Ashley was supposed to be his date to a Grammys after-party in 2001, but she never showed.

The actor testified that on the night of the Grammys, he went to Ashley's home around 10:45 PM and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Ashton says he peered through a side window and saw what he believed was red wine spilled on the floor, so he bounced.

Ashley was found dead in her house the next morning, lying outside the bathroom with more than 47 stab wounds ... and authorities said Gargiulo was the killer.

The judge and jury went on an emotional field trip back in June, checking out the place where Ashley died a gruesome death.

Michael Madsen just cut a deal in his DUI case ... and he'll spend a few days in jail.

Michael pled no contest Thursday to one misdemeanor count of driving with a .10% blood alcohol content and was sentenced to 4 days in jail and 5 years probation. He's also been ordered to complete community service in the hospital morgue program.

TMZ broke the story ... the veteran actor was busted for DUI back in March, after cops say he crashed his Land Rover into a pole in Malibu. Police say Michael reeked of booze, and he was arrested after bombing a field sobriety test.

The "Reservoir Dogs" star was eventually hit with misdemeanor DUI charges ... and it even cost him a movie gig.

Michael's been down this road before ... he was also busted for DUI in Malibu way back in 2012, when his BAC was twice the legal limit. He entered a 30-day rehab after that bust, and the judge also ordered him to get outpatient treatment.

Todd Chrisley has more drama on his plate -- his daughter ran to cops a month before he was indicted on tax fraud charges, claiming he tried extorting her with a sex tape to get her to lie ... but Todd claims BS.

Here's the situation ... Todd's daughter, Lindsie  -- who's estranged from the fam -- filed a police report last month in Georgia, alleging her brother, Chase, and her father were harassing her and threatening her with a sex tape of hers she believed Chase purchased.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ, Lindsie claimed Todd and Chase threatened to release the sex tape if she didn't lie about a certain "incident." Sources close to Lindsie say the lie was related to her testimony about the tax mess.

As we reported ... Todd and his wife, Julie, were indicted Tuesday on multiple federal charges ... including tax evasion, bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. They pled not guilty in court Wednesday after turning themselves in, and have denied any wrongdoing.

As for Lindsie's allegation that Todd and Chase were in cahoots, Todd is denying it flat-out ... saying there's no truth to it and Lindsie's lying. Todd says he and Chase didn't purchase Lindsie's sex tape ... which allegedly includes a 'Bachelor' star. He tells us, "Although our hearts are broken, Lindsie is our daughter and we will always love her."

That said, sources connected to Todd tell TMZ he has a suspicion Lindsie might be part of the reason he and Julie got indicted in the first place, although it's unclear why. However, Lindsie's attorney, Musa Ghanayem, tells us that's absurd ... saying any report of Lindsie squealing on her fam is untrue, and that she didn't leak a damn thing.

For the record ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Lindsie's case in GA has been officially dismissed, because the alleged threat and harassment occurred in Tennessee.

Danny Masterson is being sued by 4 women who accused him of rape ... who claim they've been mercilessly stalked by the Church of Scientology in an effort to silence them.

In a lawsuit, the women claim the "That 70's Show" star is involved in an unrelenting Church conspiracy to cover up their allegations. The stalking claims are pretty brutal. For instance, Chrissie Bixler says in the suit ... her dog mysteriously died after she came forward with the rape claims -- and she says an autopsy revealed it died from unexplained traumatic injuries to its trachea and esophagus.

According to the docs, Bixler adds she's been run off the road by a vehicle that had been following her back in June -- and that same month a friend of Masterson's allegedly threatened to release nude photos of her when she was underage.

Bobette Riales publicly accused Danny of sexual assault back in 2017, claiming he drugged and sexually assaulted her while they dated from 2002 to 2004. She says she's since been surveilled and followed. In one instance, she says neighbors observed a man snapping pictures from her driveway, and then later that night someone broke a window at her home.

The 2 other alleged victims, who are suing as Jane Does, make very similar claims about being mysteriously menaced.

For her part, Bixler says the attempts to silence her started even before she went public with the allegations. In the suit, she says she first disclosed the alleged rape to a Scientology employee ... who told her, "You can't be raped by someone you are in a consensual relationship with." She claims the employee also told her the Church considers it a "High Crime" to report Masterson to cops -- and she would be labeled an SP (suppressive person).

The women are suing Masterson, the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige.

We've reached out reps for Danny and the Church of Scientology for their response to the lawsuit.