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Ryan Shepard, who acted as Eminem's stunt double in the early 2000s, has died ... tragically losing his life after getting hit while attempting to cross the street.

Ryan's brother Kyle tells TMZ ... Ryan died in Washington at the end of January after getting hit by an oncoming pickup truck. Emergency responders rushed him to a hospital, but it was too late.

Ryan worked not only as Eminem's stunt double but also as his photo double and stand-in ... appearing at the MTV Movie Awards as Eminem's superhero character, Rap Boy.

He took the stage again with the rapper for his 2002 Anger Management Tour, and on his Japan and Europe tour the following year -- he also appeared in D12's "Purple Hills" music video as Eminem's double.

Kyle tells us Ryan was incredibly intelligent ... going on to work at Disney as a ride mechanical engineer, and eventually moving to Elon Musk's SpaceX as a test automation engineer.

Ryan leaves behind his 2 children, a 7-year-old and an 11-year-old.

He was 40 years old.

Rihanna has A LOT of songs to consider as she finalizes her 13-minute Super Bowl set -- but if she's curious what her peers think she should sing ... she might wanna watch this.

We got Christina Aguilera and Winnie Harlow heading into Drake's SB party Friday in Scottsdale -- and, of course, we asked them about RiRi's many options in terms of tracks she could perform Sunday ... and what exactly they'd like to hear during the Halftime Show.

Check it out ... each of them gives us a response, and they're quite different. CA says she wants to see Rihanna's take on an ODB classic -- while going on to tell us she thinks Ri's gonna kill it.

Winnie had her own pick for a Rihanna song she'd like to see performed -- a fan fave, no doubt -- but she also had a lot to say about the fact that Rihanna is one of the first Afro-Caribbean women to take the big stage. Winnie is of Jamaican descent, BTW.

Machine Gun Kelly got himself a new hair-do during his performance at PGA ... but maybe not the one he wanted.

The rocker-turned-rapper says he got "electrocuted" onstage as he performed at the Coors Light Bird's Nest in Phoenix ... a Super Bowl weekend bash.

As he's singing, you see his hair go from flat to standing straight up on end. It's unclear if something really did happen or if it's just a stage prank. We're leaning toward prank, because he seems unfazed. Also, no EMTs showed up.

MGK performed for nearly 2 hours and, unsurprisingly, it was sold out. Among the guests -- A-Rod and his GF.

After the show, MGK met up with fiancée Megan Fox to hit up Drake's party.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras have pissed off lots of viewers who filed complaints with CBS and the FCC over their "Unholy" Grammys performance.

TMZ has obtained 18 complaints filed with the Federal Communications Commission  ... and the flashpoint is Satan.

Many claimed the performance was textbook devil worship and were appalled by the imagery shown on TV ... with one adding, "I will be canceling my television service due to this." Seems a little extreme.

Some called the performance anti-Christian. One viewer postulated the song had the potential to "increase violence against Christians." Some took offense to the BDSM and adult images.

And there's more ... "It was wrought with evil imagery, and depicted DEVIL WORSHIPING ACOLYTES writhing around on the floor virtually naked, and in CAGES. It was broadcast on live television, and I cannot believe that CBS allowed it."

One parent was furious ... "The performance of Sam Smith had people being whipped and in a cage. My 15 year old son who is an aspiring musician was traumatized by it."

Politicians even got in the act, with Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene finding the whole thing "evil" and "demonic."

Britney Spears desperately needs help, and multiple people close to her tell TMZ ... the decision to pull the plug on the intervention scheduled this past Tuesday may well be life-threatening.

TMZ broke the story ... the intervention that was planned would include her husband, Sam Asghari, her manager and medical professionals. Her manager rented a house in the L.A. area where the intervention would go down, and the plan was for Britney to live there for around 2 months to get better, but someone in her camp pulled the plug on the plan.

As we reported, Britney's behavior has become increasingly erratic and volatile ... the result of her mental illness and substance abuse.

Here's what people with direct knowledge tell TMZ ...

-- "The intervention was long overdue. She is very much a danger to herself and those around her. It's a ticking time bomb. Thank god somebody finally took some steps to do something about it."

-- Another source says, "I worry about waking up in the morning and feeling like I'm going to get a horrible phone call."

-- A third source says, "This is 2008 all over again. There is serious fear she is either going to die or kill someone. She is abusing caffeine, Adderall, and anything she can get her hands on. She is not taking her medication, which is essential to stabilize her mood and is unknowingly trying to self-medicate with other substances, which is exacerbating her mental illness."

-- And finally, "She has unbelievable untreated trauma that with the help of therapists and specialists could put her in a much better place. An intervention is essential to make that happen."

There is anger among those who believe an intervention is necessary ... anger that someone has derailed the plan, and they are not giving up.

Shania Twain is opening up about her terrifying 2018 throat procedure, saying it left her with a huge scar, but it was more than worth it.

The Queen of Country Pop was interviewed for an episode of "The Graham Norton Show," during which Shania discussed her fears that her open-throat surgery would have a negative impact on her vocal cords. Turned out, the surgery was a resounding blessing.

Shania said, "The operation was very invasive, and I've got a big scar that I am proud of. I'm very happy to have a scar rather than no voice."

She continued, "The surgery was a miracle, and I am so grateful. Going back into a studio after the operation was a discovery and I was re-learning voice."

She added, "I can get very loud and now I can swear really loudly!"

As you may recall, Shania caught a bacterial infection back in 2003 after she was bitten by a tick while riding horseback in Norfolk, Virginia. As a result, she lost her voice and had to take a break from performing, thinking she might never sing again.

It took doctors 7 years to give Shania an accurate diagnosis ... she had contracted Lyme Disease, which had damaged the nerves of her vocal cords. Over the years, Shania underwent multiple throat surgeries to correct the problem, but the 2018 procedure seemed to be the most concerning.

During her interview, which will air Friday, Shania was joined onstage by other major celebs ... including Salma Hayek, Julianne Moore and Lizzo. The country star also spoke about her first record since her 2018 surgery, "Queens of Me," saying "I ended up making a very happy, inspired, and celebratory album."

And just last year ... Shania hit the stage with Harry Styles at Coachella. Looks like she's back!

Britney Spears has been struggling with her mental health and substance abuse, and both problems are now dire enough that people closest to her planned an intervention ... TMZ has learned. As one source in regular contact with Britney told TMZ, "I'm afraid she's gonna die."

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... people around Britney have become alarmed by her erratic, volatile behavior. We're told she's taking meds that "hype her up." Our sources say she's been "flying off the handle" with increasing regularity and is not taking the medications that stabilize her.

Our sources say her manager rented a house in the L.A. area for several months and the plan was to take an unsuspecting Britney to the house, where her husband Sam Asghari, her manager, an interventionist and doctors would be present, in an attempt to convince her she needed help. We're told Jamie Spears, Lynne Spears and Britney's 2 sons were not involved. The plan was for the intervention to go down Tuesday.

We're told the plan was for Britney to live in the rented house for as long as 2 months while she received both medical treatment and psychological counseling.

That plan changed Tuesday ... we're told Britney became "somewhat aware" of the plan and for some reason it all changed and the intervention idea was scrapped. We asked multiple people connected to Britney and Sam why the plug would be pulled given her condition -- we got no answers.

Our sources say Britney agreed to meet with a doctor -- we don't know if it's a physician or a therapist. We're told Britney met with the doctor Wednesday late afternoon and it "went well."

TMZ broke the story, Britney was spotted at a restaurant near her home last month where witnesses tell us she was acting "manic." In video, obtained by TMZ, Britney can be heard rambling incoherently.

GloRilla's stay in the Bay Area ended in a fit of rage ... rage from fans who hurled drinks and spit at the "FNF" rapper when she exited her Oakland after party without performing.

The incident happened Wednesday night at New Karibbean City nightclub, and the video shows Glo and her team making their way to the door as drink lands smack dab on Glo's jacket, angering her and her friends.

One clubgoer yelled out, "F**k you, bitch!!" ... before someone on Glo's team cools her off with a few splashes from her glass to return the favor.

Promoter Con B of Insomnia Entertainment isn't taking responsibility for fans turning on Glo ... but tells TMZ Hip Hop he paid an exec at Glo's label CMG $30K to hear the Grammy-nominated star get lit and is expecting a full refund!!!

Sources close to the situation paint a different story, telling us Glo was never contracted to perform for that $30K -- a claim backed up by Glo's CMG boss, Yo Gotti after he got wind of the incident on Instagram!!!

We're told it was only a couple of rowdy fans upset she didn't perform -- not the entire club like the internet is projecting.

Glo is currently on tour and hit the Oakland club after her performance in San Fran earlier that night.

Burt Bacharach, one of the most prolific composers/songwriters in American history -- responsible for enormous hits like "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" and "I Say a Little Prayer" -- has died.

Bacharach died Wednesday at his L.A. home of natural causes, according to his publicist.

Bacharach and his composing partner, Hal David, were responsible for a string of Dionne Warwick hits, including "Do You Know The Way to San Jose," "Walk on By," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "Don't Make Me Over."

Numerous artists covered his songs, including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones.

Although the 8-time Grammy winner was largely considered a master of easy listening, his songs were covered by artists in all genres of music -- everyone from Luther Vandross to Marty Robbins to Elvis Costello and even The Carpenters recorded his songs.

Everyone knows the #1 hit, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" ... classic Bacharach.

He and David composed the score for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," which included 'Raindrops.' They won 2 Academy Awards for the film's soundtrack.

Motown record label founder Berry Gordy tells us, "Over the years, no matter who Burt collaborated with, there was always a recognizable “Bacharach” sound and magic to his songs. He was a unique writer whose music always touched my heart. I will miss him, but I know Burt’s amazing legacy will live on forever."

Burt also wrote several hits with his one-time wife Carole Bayer Sager -- and, in fact, they also won an Oscar for "Best That You Can Do" ... the theme from "Arthur."

All told, he walked down the aisle 4 times, including a 15-year marriage to actress Angie Dickinson. He married for the last time in 1993 when he and Jane Hansen tied the knot.

He's survived by 3 children and Jane. Burt was 94.

Scooter Braun, once known primarily as Justin Bieber's manager, is now firmly in the rap world -- his company dropped 9 figures to purchase Quality Control music label ... home of Migos.

S.B.'s HYBE America announced the huge purchase Wednesday, and the price is reportedly in the ballpark of $300 million. Some of the label's other heavy hitters include Lil Baby and City Girls.

Scooter, who also manages Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, told New York Times QC is one of the "most significant labels in the world," adding it doesn't stop at music ... "they also distribute culture. Their artists are the voices of their communities."

This marks the first huge leap the manager's made since taking the reigns as sole chief exec of HYBE America last month. FYI, the company's a division of Hybe, a South Korean entertainment firm that manages huge names like BTS.

The move was met with some heat online -- for those unaware, QC -- founded a decade ago by Pierre Thomas and Kevin 'Coach K' Lee -- has always prided itself in being a Black-owned business.

However, many don't realize Braun and Coach K have a 20 year friendship, working together in Atlanta's Hip Hop community for years. In fact, Scooter recently said of their pairing, "I’ll never forget riding around Atlanta over 20 years ago with Coach discussing our dreams and ambitions and how we said: ‘If they let us in the game, we are never going to give it back’.”

While conservatives are up in arms about Sam Smith and Kim Petras' hell-themed performance of "Unholy" at the Grammys ... the Church of Satan is unimpressed.

David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, tells TMZ ... Sam and Kim's performance was "alright" and "nothing particularly special."

Harris, who's pretty high up in the Church of Satan (kinda like a cardinal), says the imagery evoked in Sam and Kim's set is similar to what folks have already seen from other artists -- red clothing, fire and devil horns -- and it's all kind of passé now.

Of course, politicians like Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert had entirely different takeaways ... as they railed against the Grammy night act, calling it evil.

MTG and Boebert's anti-Sam/Kim tweets referenced The Satanic Temple -- a different group from the Church of Satan -- but Harris is firing back on behalf of all Satanists, telling us ... "It's sad when politicians on a national stage use someone's religion as a punchline."

Ironically, he says Cruz, MTG and Boebert are a bunch of "delicate snowflakes."

Political bickering aside, the Church of Satan says Lil Nas X's music video for "Montero" was actually much more proactive than anything Sam or Kim did, at least in a satanic sense.

For the uninitiated ... Satanists don't actually worship Satan, nor do they believe in God or the Devil. They're opposed to anything supernatural and all spirituality, and with no belief in the afterlife, Satanists emphasize being your true self, personal achievement and living life to the fullest ... with one of the key tenants being individuals are their own Gods.

It's why the Church of Satan says Lil Nas X's "Montero" is much more in line with their philosophies ... in the music vid, LNX descends into hell, murders Satan and takes the devil's crown for himself.

Michael Jackson's music may very well have a new co-owner if a mega deal is negotiated with Sony worth nearly a billion dollars, but there are strings attached ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the MJ estate will NEVER sell Michael's historic catalog outright. BUT, we've learned the estate would entertain a 50/50 split, but only if the estate maintains complete management and control.

Our sources say the estate would consider selling a 50% interest for around $900 million, and that would cover recordings, publishing rights, etc.

Here's what we're hearing ... there appears to be talks underway between the estate and Sony. When you think about it, Sony makes a lot of sense ... it's Mike's long-term label.

This is a distinction from other huge catalog sales that have gone down -- including from guys like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Justin Bieber and more. Those deals, didn't even come close to what's potentially at play for Michael's stuff ... and they also relinquished virtually all say over how the work can be used by their new corporate owners.

Springsteen's catalog went for $500 million, and Justin Bieber's went for $200 mil ... again, that for total ownership.

If these MJ talks manifest, it would easily be the biggest blockbuster sale ever -- which speaks to just how popular and in demand Michael continues to be to this day.

Post Malone is trying to ease fan concern over his noticeable weight loss ... he insists he's happy and healthy and nothing is amiss.

Post is on tour in Australia, and lots of folks became concerned when video showed him looking slimmer as he performed in a t-shirt and shorts. Many believed he was battling illness or even addiction because of his dramatic weight loss and the obscure movements he made while singing.

Sources close to Post tell TMZ ... there's no need for fans to be alarmed, because he's not on drugs or sick, in fact, it's quite the opposite.

Our sources say Post previously gained some weight for a movie role, but ever since he's been adhering to a strict diet and working out. Post's been touring since September, and he does a 90-minute set, and we're told that's contributing to the weight loss too.

Beyoncé broke the all-time Grammy record this weekend, an honor previously held by a classical musician for years, who'd be very happy for Bey if he was still around today.

Georg Solti -- the Hungarian-British conductor who had the most Grammys before Bey took the mantle Sunday -- would absolutely celebrate her achievement ... so says his daughter, Claudia Solti. Georg died in '97 -- the year before he won his posthumous, record-setting 31st Grammy.

According to Claudia ... her dad's music brought people together, and she feels Beyoncé's work does the exact same thing -- more than enough reason to get excited.

She tells us her father loved all kinds of music, and that she feels like he's probably somewhere out there smiling over the new milestone that's been hit ... even though, Claudia says he probably doesn't understand all the fuss about records.

An organization named in Georg's honor -- Georg Solti Accademia, serving as a music school in Italy -- tells us they agree with Claudia. They say, "We send our wholehearted congratulations to Beyonce! Throughout his career, Maestro Solti always sought to unite people through music. We think he would be thrilled to see audiences from many genres of music coming together to celebrate the achievements of both Beyonce and himself."

As we reported, Beyoncé crossed the benchmark set by Georg by racking up Grammy #32 during the show. She won Best Electronic/Dance Album, this after snagging 3 other Grammys earlier in the night ... making history anew.

Harry Styles winning over Beyoncé didn't sit well for many online, and one guy in the building wasn't pleased either -- screaming in indignation ... and outing himself as the yeller.

You might've noticed somebody briefly interrupted HS's acceptance speech Sunday after he won Album of the Year for 'Harry's House' -- an honor many felt should've gone to Queen Bey for her smash hit, 'Renaissance' ... and who made their opinion heard on Twitter.

However, the outrage clearly made its way into Crypto.com Arena ... with one dude shouting "BEYONCEEEEE" while Harry was giving his thanks at the end of the show.

At first, it wasn't clear who had screamed it or from where ... but now, the fella has ID'd himself -- posting a video from the nosebleeds, where he was sitting, which shows the moment he made his protest. Turns out, the Beyoncé superfan's a journalist from Philly.

His name's Ernest Owens, and he writes for Philadelphia Magazine -- it also sounds like he's won an award or two ... plus, the guy's verified on the bird app. So, not just a total nobody.

Clearly, Owens wasn't happy with who the biggest award of the night went to ... and he continued to express his outrage after posting his scream video -- throwing up another clip that shows people filing out of the building during the final performance (post-Harry win).

He also wrote this, "Off to the #GRAMMYs after-party I go. Industry is completely speechless. If TV award shows die after this, I wouldn't be surprised. They exploit diverse talent for ratings only for them to play these games."

Owens added, "It's been over 20 years since a Black woman won Album of the Year."

It's interesting ... you could argue this is in the same ballpark as Kanye West taking the microphone away from Taylor Swift during the 2009 VMAs and sticking up for Beyoncé in passionate terms -- albeit, from a distance and perhaps without so much theatrics.

There's also a lot of noise about the fact that Harry said this type of thing doesn't usually happen to "people like me" -- with the Internet collectively scratching their heads.

Many would say it actually does happen quite often -- namely, a white person getting a big award over the People's true choice, who may or may not be Black ... and, in this case, was.

Hollywood was in the mood to party after the 65th Grammy Awards -- and that's exactly what they did ... going out in spades and flooding the streets of L.A. with their boogie shoes.

Several shindigs were being held all across town following the award show in downtown, with celebs kinda splitting their allegiances between Universal Music Group -- which was hosting its own bash -- and another blowout attended by just about everybody in hip-hop.

Let's start with the latter ... over at the Grammy Museum party in Bev Hills, which was hosted by Larry Jackson, Swizz Beatz and Richie Akiva, we saw Busta Rhymes, Madonna, French Montana, Lil Wayne, Amber Rose, Lil Kim, Nelly, Teyana Taylor, Rick Ross, Dave East, Evan Ross, Rita Ora and more rubbing shoulders.

At the UMG party, it was more of a mixed bag in terms of genre. LL Cool J was there, as was Nick Jonas, Shania Twain, Paris Jackson, Olivia Rodrigo, Kim Petras, Stevie Wonder and Samara Joy.

Elsewhere ... Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes, Diplo and others attended a private house party -- meanwhile, at Wally's in Bev Hills, you could find LeBron James, Rich Paul and Adele.

Last but not least ... a ritzy get-together at the Chateau Marmont -- hosted by none other than Taylor Swift -- had its own famous crowd partying up ... with Camila Cabello, Laura Dern, Lana Del Rey, Casey Affleck and other stars swinging by for a good time.

Sunday capped off an entire weekend full of ragers like these ones, proving that the Grammys are probably the biggest award show in town -- seeing how it tends to draw talent across the entertainment biz, not just music.

BTW, it's somewhat strange ... the big winners of the night -- Lizzo, Beyonce and Harry Styles -- were nowhere to be found at any of these gatherings ... at least from what we can see. Guess they were all burnt out from hitting the stage so often throughout the night. 🤷🏽‍♂️

In any case, it seems a blast was had all by all. And, another Grammy is in the books.