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Pop Smoke's loved ones will be gathering this weekend to remember him, say some prayers and grieve together ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the rapper's family tell us ... they are taking care of some final formal business, but will be transporting his body back to New York soon.

We're told a private event for family and close friends only is scheduled for Sunday at a church in his hometown of Brooklyn. It's a prayer and grief service, but not his final memorial service or burial ... that will be held at a later date.

We broke the story ... Pop Smoke's family is reeling after his tragic death, and desperately seeking answers. They've been heavily involved in the investigation process and we're told they'll continue to be as much as possible back in NYC.

Along with dealing with law enforcement, our sources say the family's also been handling a lot of the rapper's music business with his label and his lawyers in L.A. ... but they're ready to get out of California and bring their son home.

As you know ... Pop Smoke was shot and killed Wednesday morning in what initially appeared to be a home invasion in the Hollywood Hills. However, we've learned surveillance video suggests his murder was a target hit and not a robbery gone wrong.

Meghan Trainor's father has been hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle in what appears to be a hit-and-run -- but, fortunately, it looks like he'll be okay.

Sources close to the family tell TMZ ... Gary Trainor was transported to an area hospital in Los Angeles Friday night, after we're told he was hit by a car. The accident took place as Gary was crossing a busy street by foot, near the San Fernando Valley -- he was admitted to a nearby emergency room.

We're told he's currently listed as being in stable condition, so it sounds like he'll recover from his injuries. No official word on the whereabouts or description of the driver -- we've got a call into law enforcement to see if they're looking into it.

Meghan and her dad are super-tight -- he mentored her to become the star she is today, and even showed her the ropes of the music game. The guy's a known piano player himself, and reportedly contributed to one of Meghan's earlier EPs ... being featured on two tracks.

One song he apparently produced was her song "Cupid." Another song he helped out on for that same "Only 17" record was called "Tumble." He's credited with helping launch her career, and has appeared at multiple awards shows and other public events with his kid.

Just as recently as last month, Gary and Meghan were together -- on TV, no less -- when Gary made a surprise guest appearance on 'The Voice UK,' for which Meghan serves as a judge.

Gary's currently at least 70 years old, according to online records.

As cops try to figure out who targeted Pop Smoke for death ... we know the rapper shut down one of his own performances just days before his murder out of concern there were gang members in the audience.

Pop was scheduled to play the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn last Sunday night, but took to Instagram just before the show to cancel. Pop blamed it on cops, saying, "Unfortunately NYPD wouldn't let me perform."

Our law enforcement sources say it wasn't the NYPD that shut the show down ... they say the decision was made by Pop himself. The rapper was out on bail in a federal car theft case and was ordered to stay away from gang members, so cops say canceling the show was really self-preservation.

There's been a buzz in L.A. among Pop's circle that gang members might be behind his murder. The fact that Pop himself had concerns about gang members was something that has not escaped the attention of police.

TMZ broke the story -- the feds busted Pop last month for allegedly transporting a stolen Rolls-Royce -- and that's why he was on bail.

As we first reported ... Pop Smoke's death appears to be a targeted hit based on accounts by those who saw surveillance footage from outside the Hollywood Hills home where he was gunned down.

Pop Smoke's tragic death came as a devastating shock to his family ... who are now heavily involved in trying to solve the who, what, why and how of the rapper's murder.

Family sources tell TMZ ... Pop Smoke's loved ones, who live in NYC, beelined it to the airport to fly to LAX and headed to the hospital after getting word he'd been shot.

We're told the family is at a loss trying to understand what happened -- nothing makes sense to them.

Our family sources say they had no clue that Pop Smoke had any enemies in L.A. They also don't believe someone would have followed him from New York to L.A. Since he spent so much time on the East Coast, if someone there wanted to harm him, they would have done it there.

Our sources say family members have personally questioned friends and witnesses, who were at the Hollywood Hills house before the shooting, to try to gather evidence ... and they want to see security footage.

We broke the story ... surveillance video suggests Pop Smoke's murder was a target hit and not a robbery gone wrong, a notion with which the family is struggling.

As far as the family knows, Smoke was in L.A. to focus on promoting his new mixtape which had just dropped, and to relax a bit before going on tour in March.

As we reported, he was killed Wednesday morning after multiple shots were fired inside his home and they only struck Pop Smoke, who was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Our sources say just like law enforcement ... the rapper's family is in full investigation mode, and won't stop until they get some answers.

John Travolta sharing a stage with Pitbull at a Latin music awards show definitely sounds like a dream, but pinch yourself, 'cause it really happened ... and it was kinda glorious to see.

The rapper emceed Premio Lo Nuestro 2020 Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami but playing host wasn't all he was up to that night. He also performed a medley of his greatest hits ... and among his performances included "3 to Tango."

Travolta, of course, stars in the "3 to Tango" music video ... which only shows the back of John's head most of the time until the big reveal at the end. So, when Travolta joined Pitbull on stage, the crowd naturally ate it up.

It wasn't quite "Saturday Night Fever" but Travolta still danced his ass off, and even stuck around and grabbed a mic for Pitbull's "Get Ready" performance.

Pitbull -- winner of 7 'PLN' awards -- also brought out Chesca and Lil Jon to perform "Cinco de Mayo."

Royce da 5'9" is opening up about how therapy sessions are helping him grow ... and he's trying to spread the word to improve other people's lives, as well.

The Detroit rapper has a new album out, and he gets pretty personal on it. One track, "Hero," is a lyrical shout-out to his father and their relationship ... something therapy's helped him better appreciate.

Royce acknowledges most people -- especially in the black community -- have preconceived notions about sitting down and opening up to a therapist. He wants to remove that stigma, because he believes a lot of people have the wrong idea.

His new album, "The Allegory," comes out Friday, and he's already talking about the lead single, "Overcomer" -- "I want to spread the message for people to know it's ok to be themselves. I especially want this new generation of artists to understand it always works out best when they are true to themselves."

Royce told us therapy should be mandatory in the music biz -- 'cause artists need help navigating sudden fame. As for non-celebrities? He thinks counseling is seen as an "amenity" ... a luxury for which they either can't or don't want to pay.

The rapper says he's going to use his platform to change that, because we all need to start taking care of each other.

Tyler Perry's most famous character, Madea, is going out with a bang -- and in the Volunteer State, the one and only Chris Stapleton helped him send her off with a tune of his own.

TP's on a stage play farewell tour for his notorious alter ego -- the last time Madea will make an appearance on the road or onscreen, or so it seems -- and during his Nashville, TN stop last week, the famous country singer surfaced as one of the guests in the crowd.

Looks like someone pointed him out and put him on the spot to sing a little bit ... and Chris didn't shy away from the moment. He took the mic and sang "Tennessee Whiskey."

Tyler certainly appreciated the impromptu performance, writing on Instagram ... "Madea could not come to the end of the farewell tour and have @chrisstapleton in the audience in Nashville, Tennessee and not have him sing a verse of Tennessee Whiskey! And he KILLED IT!! Thank you Chris, blessings to you, your wife, and them babies!!"

That's one helluva way to go out.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's oldest daughter is following in her parents' footsteps to become a showwoman herself -- which she put on display in front of all her classmates.

North West did a little show and tell last week at what appears to be a school-sponsored get-together out near Calabasas, where a bunch of her 1st grade colleagues were in attendance with their parents. Kanye was no different -- he showed up to support his kid.

Now, check out the video ... 'cause it's pretty cute and kinda eye-opening. It's NW lip-syncing to her own song, which she raps on with hard-hitting lyrics like ... "And I'm friends with Jojo (Siwa) // And I'm friends with Bowbow // And I'm friends with MoMo // Not on YouTube!"

Roll call, y'all!!!

Anyway, North ate up the spotlight, dancing in front of the crowd and getting a little help from her dad who whispered lyrics in her ear.

We've known for a little while that North has the performance gene. She did a little song and dance -- mostly dance -- during one of Kanye's Sunday Services last year.

Afroman took a giant misstep while performing one of his hit tracks, and even though he went down hard ... he found a way to save his beloved pimp cup!!!

The rapper was in the middle of his famous song "Crazy Rap" -- AKA "Colt 45 and 2 Zig Zags" -- Saturday night at Montbleu Resort in Lake Tahoe when he took the spill off the stage. He popped right back up with a little assistance though ... and kept the flow going.

As you can see, he was holding the mic in his left hand and his pimp cup in his right before he fell ... and he says he saved the cup from any harm.

Afroman's producer, Ditch, tells TMZ ... the rapper's glass is no cheap knockoff -- it comes from Debbie the Glass Lady, creator of the Crunk Cup, and goes for about $3,000.

Ditch also says Afroman was not injured in the incident, but we pretty much already knew that ... because he was dancing it up with a mystery girl after his show, pimp cup still in hand.

Baby, that's all he needs.

A super scary moment went down during a Sunday night showing of The Beatles LOVE in Las Vegas ... when one of the stunt performers took a nasty fall.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a member of the Cirque du Soleil team was injured during the show at The Mirage and transported to a hospital. Fortunately, we're told the performer suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Could have been much worse, according to witnesses, who say a male LOVE performer was doing a rope stunt at a very great height when he lost control and fell. Those in the crowd described the incident as "shocking," "just awful" and "traumatizing."

Immediately after the fall, the show was stopped due to the medical situation and the audience was asked to leave. We're told the fall happened near the end of the show.

We don't know which song they were performing at the time, but the show is packed with incredible acrobatics set to Beatles hits. It's been one of the most popular shows on the strip since opening in 2006.

A rep for the show tells us the show stopped "as a precautionary measure and in accordance with our emergency response protocols."

They continue, "As always in the case of an accident, the artist will continue to be monitored by the show's medical and coaching teams to determine when he can return to his activities."

Justin Bieber is going through changes -- and one of them just happened on his face.

The singer posted video Sunday showing himself taking an electric razor to his mustache, which he's been rocking proudly for a minute now. Unclear why he decided to get rid of the epic stache, but his follicle fans shouldn't panic. JB says it'll be back in due time.

In the videos, Justin shows off a cool feature on Instagram Stories -- being able to embed snippets of songs and having the lyrics superimpose over your uploaded clip. For the stache shaving, the Biebs went with a few solid "goodbye"-themed tunes. Quite fitting.

He chose the Rolling Stones' "Miss You," Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," 'NSYNC's "Gone," and of course ... Ray Charles' "Hit the Road Jack." Good taste in music.

He also showed off his freshly shaven mug, calling himself "Baby face Bieb." Yeah, he does look younger -- facial hair has that kinda magic. BTW, his wife, Hailey, seems to dig it. She responded to his post with a 😍  emoji, so the missus is happy. Good move.

Until we meet again, young Selleck 👋🏽

Elton John struggled to power through his performance Saturday night, but eventually, he was forced to throw in the towel due to a bad case of walking pneumonia.

Sir Elton performed in Auckland and made it clear to the crowd ... he was hurting. Nevertheless, he performed until he couldn't. He had already performed for about 1.5 hours.

Check out the video ... Elton sounds really good as he performs "Tiny Dancer," but eventually he just couldn't continue. The crowd was with him all the way, giving him a standing O as he left the stage ... clearly upset.

Elton later apologized, "I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia earlier today, but I was determined to give you the best show humanly possible. I played and sang my heart out, until my voice could sing no more. I'm disappointed, deeply upset and sorry. I gave it all I had."

Justin Bieber seems to see himself in Billie Eilish -- whom he says he wants to protect at all costs from going through the same sort of hell he did as a rising child star.

Biebs sat down with Beats 1's Zane Lowe for a new interview to plug his new album, "Changes," and during the convo ... Billie was brought up. Justin says he wants to let her do her thing, but also notes ... if she ever needs him, he's just a phone call away.

JB even tears up talking about her, adding that he wants to protect her and shelter her from the sorts of experiences he went through growing up. It's incredibly touching.

As you know ... Justin's been through a lot over the years, including arrests, lawsuits, self-admitted substance abuse, depression, relationship woes ... and on and on.

The honest moment certainly caught Billie's eye -- she captured a snippet of the interview and posted it to her own Instagram ... adding photos of her when she was younger, which show she was a huge Bieber fan. Clearly, the love here goes both ways.

As for Billie -- who's got an older brother, Finneas, navigating the music industry with her -- she's a rock star right now, and at the young age of 18 to boot. BE has racked up several Grammys already for her debut album, and is heading up the new Bond theme song.

In any case, it would appear she appreciates Justin looking out for her. She captioned her post, "stream changes." Both the interview and the new album are on Apple Music, and streaming platforms everywhere.

James Brown was NOT murdered, regardless of what a woman who knew him is now suggesting ... so says the doctor who signed the legendary singer's death certificate.

Dr. Marvin Crawford tells TMZ ... the Fulton County D.A.'s Office is wasting its time in looking into so-called evidence from Jacque Hollander because he claims there was no evidence of foul play when he examined Brown right after he died.

Crawford says Brown suffered a heart attack on December 23, 2006, and was hospitalized. He suffered a second heart attack not long afterward ... and that's what killed him on Christmas Day.

The doctor tells us Brown had a long history of diabetes and hypertension, which contributed to his death ... and that's it.

Crawford admits he's never met Hollander and doesn't know how she's come to believe The Godfather of Soul might have been murdered.

As we reported ... Jacque presented Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard with a bin full of items and investigators have been directed to interview her. If her evidence holds up, Howard says he's open to launching a full-scale death investigation.

Crawford clearly believes that would be useless, and there's something else ... he denies he ever hinted otherwise.

As we told you, in a 2017 CNN interview Crawford did raise questions about Brown's death because the doctor reportedly wondered if James' heart attack was triggered by a toxic substance or an OD.

However, Crawford tells us ... "CNN said I said that but I didn't say that about the drugs."

Brown was 73 when he died.

Rebecca Black poured her heart out for the anniversary of her song, "Friday," and says the honesty paid off ... and might even unlock some doors in the near future.

We spoke to the singer Wednesday in L.A. after she posted an emotional reflection on her viral hit 9 years to the day that it went up on YouTube ... which she tells us has been reciprocated with folks opening up to her right back, and being just as vulnerable.

ICYMI, Rebecca said she wishes she could go back in time and talk to younger versions of herself, whom she says were going through it in the wake of the earworm ... and all the hate that followed. RB says she went through depression, rejection and food feathering.

She found the light at the end of the tunnel though ... adding that despite all that, she now knows no one thing has to define a person -- and each day is an opportunity to start fresh.

As it turns out, the message resonated with a ton of people, who've been blowing Rebecca up with support and stories of their own. Check it out ... she tells us she'd never been quite that honest about her experience, and it clearly struck a chord in a good way.

When it comes to regrets ... Rebecca says she doesn't have any and actually doesn't think she would have stopped herself from doing the song/video if she knew what was to come.

We'll let her explain why for herself. But, get this ... a super-famous music producer has apparently been in touch with Rebecca. For new tunes??? Maybe ... a "Friday" remix might be in the cards, folks.

Akon's plan to bring a futuristic city to his childhood country of Senegal is getting closer to coming to fruition, and he's going to show it off soon ... a 3D rendering anyway.

The singer was at LAX Wednesday when he gave us an update on "Akon City" ... which he says is 7 years in the making so far, and he's still cutting through the red tape.

Akon confirms what he announced last month -- he's finalized an agreement for the city and secured the land ... but adds he's now working on a partnership with the government to implement tax-free policies and incentives he wants to attract business.

He says he's dead serious about his city resembling Wakanda from "Black Panther" -- with all the latest and most progressive technology -- and believes it's in the perfect geographical location to make it happen.

Akon drops some more facts about West Africa to paint a picture of what Akon City's going to look like ... and says he'll drop a YouTube video soon to share his vision.