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Sophie, one of the most important forces in electronic pop music, has tragically died.

Her reps say ... "Tragically our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident," explaining, "True to her spirituality she had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell."

Sophie became famous in 2013, with the release of "Bipp." She followed that up in 2015 with a number of super-popular singles on Product.

She got a Grammy nom for best dance/electronic album with "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides." One reviewer called the album a combination of "terror, sadness and pleasure."

Sophie was transgender and talked about her journey in 2018, saying, "Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren't fighting against each other and struggling to survive." She went on to say, "It means you're not a mother or a father -- you're an individual who's looking at the world and feeling the world."

Sophie also co-wrote Madonna's, "Bitch I'm Madonna" in 2015. She also collabed with A.G. Cook, Charli XCX and Vince Staples.

Sophie was 34.

The coronavirus vaccine isn't enough to save Coachella and Stagecoach from suffering the same fate two years in a row ... the music festivals just got put on ice ... again.

The sad news came down Friday from Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser. He signed an order scrapping the April events, citing COVID as the culprit.

Hundreds of thousands of fans flocked to the festivals each April before the pandemic, and more would have been champing at the bit to go this year after lockdowns and the death of live music ... the doc says it's just not safe to have people coming in from all corners of a world ravaged by virus.

The move's not too surprising, considering the pandemic is far from under control ... and right now it's anyone's guess if the festivals can be revived in October. That was the plan last year, but it never panned out.

Kanye West's cooking up something with his futuristic foam footwear ... with a little spray.

A Yeezy employee was spotted outside Ye's Calabasas office Monday spraying on what appears to be a new Yeezy Foam RNNR Ararat prototype. It's unclear what exactly the employee's trying to accomplish, but the sole's getting the bulk of the spray. Non-stick spray? Who knows.

Either way, this is the first look at Kanye's new Adidas RNNR prototype ... 7 months after the foam shoe's first release.

Some of Kanye's biggest pals have been seen wearing the Foams ... including Justin Bieber on a yellow Vespa and his wife, Hailey, during a recent shopping spree with Kendall Jenner.

Even though the shoe was soundly ridiculed when they were first released, they've made a killing on the resale marked ... going for as much as $800. The retail price was only around $100.

Lil Wayne wasted no time getting back to stuntin' after he received a pardon from President Trump ... and it looks like he was enjoying the hell out of his free pass.

Tory Lanez says Tunechi was on set to help out with his music video for "Big Tipper" the very next day after Trump pardoned the rapper in his federal gun case.

In the clip Lanez shared, Lil Wayne's in a hot pink getup, flashing serious ice on both wrists, smoking and vibing to the music. Oh, and that's all with a nude model in front of him on a table.

As we reported ... Weezy was facing serious time behind bars after pleading guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon on a private jet.

Trump's pardon -- on the heels of Wayne endorsing Trump for President -- let him off the hook for all that, though ... which cleared his schedule for music vid shoots like the one with Lanez.

Tory gushed with all sorts of appreciation for Weezy coming through for him ... after Trump came though for Weezy.

The Flaming Lips hopped on stage Saturday night for their long-awaited Space Bubble Concert, and gotta say ... it's awesome!!!

It went down in the band's hometown, Oklahoma City, and it did not disappoint. The band AND the crowd were all in their own, individual bubbles in a futuristic display that looked ... well, futuristic.

The Space Bubble Concert was originally scheduled for December, but there was a spike in coronavirus cases in Oklahoma so the band was forced to postpone.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' inauguration playlist is taking Brooklyn rapper Kota the Friend's career to new heights ... and he's also giving thanks to Lupita Nyong'o.

Kota the Friend's camp tells TMZ ... the independent rapper was blindsided when his track, "Lupita's Interlude," was the first song in the official inauguration playlist, and now he's reaping the benefits of a presidential shoutout.

Ever since Kota was included on the 46-song playlist alongside the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder, his collab with Lupita has enjoyed a huge spike in listeners on Spotify and Apple Music, with streams increasing over 90% to 2.5 million total.

Not bad for a Kota song that doesn't even feature his vocals ... it's just 1 minute of Lupita reciting a spoken word poem about things that mean everything to her. The track's the interlude to Kota's 2020 album, "Everything."

Kota's reps say he's also getting lots of eyeballs on social media ... over 10,000 new Instagram followers, over 11,000 new likes on his Facebook page and over 13,500 new followers on Spotify.

Hey, it helps to have a ticket with 81 million votes on your side.

Miley Cyrus has some bad luck when it comes to burglars ... we're told someone broke into another one of her storage units.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Miley's L.A.-area storage unit was broken into a few weeks ago, and someone made off with clothes, family photos and other mementos.

There's no dollar amount on the missing items, but ya gotta imagine there's some significant sentimental value.

We're told it doesn't appear the thieves were specifically targeting Miley -- other storage units in the same facility were hit as well.

Police are still investigating the heist, but they've had some success already. Our sources say some items -- for Miley and others -- have already been recovered.

DJ Spinderella just went off on Lifetime's Salt-N-Pepa biopic ... a project she's got nothing to do with, and she's pissed about the level of disrespect.

S-N-P's former DJ blew her top Friday, one day before the movie debuts, saying she was disappointed to learn "a decision was made to move forward with a Lifetime biopic that wrongfully excluded me from every aspect of development and production all the while using my image throughout, given that I played an integral role in the group's story and success."

Spinderella said she felt compelled to speak out because "too often, Black women who have made meaningful contributions in their industry are left out of historical narratives." She's especially mad because she says S-N-P was all about empowering women, so she "could not have dreamed that this same group would one day disempower me."

It's not all bad news ... Spinderella changed her tune near the end of her tweets to say she's in the final stages of writing her memoir, which she calls "a personal journey navigating through life, relationships, and the industry that raised me. 30+ years is a lot of content and I'm ready to share."

Amanda Bynes is now in the rap game ... or so it seems, after she dropped a snippet of her new track.

The "She's the Man" star posted a new track on Instagram dubbed "Diamonds" ... in which she raps for around 12 seconds --- "Diamonds, Diamonds on my neck, on my wrist" and so on. The track is only the second thing she's posted to her 505k followers on Instagram.

She's also got a rapper by the name of Precise on the track. It's unclear when Amanda recorded the track or how serious she is about getting into the rap game, but back in June she rapped along to A$AP Rocky's "A$AP Forever."

Gucci Mane and Tyga are among a throng of celebs living it up like the pandemic has long been defeated ... partying at a huge maskless rager in Miami.

Gucci and Tyga were seen partying over the weekend at a 150-person bash in the 305. The shindig was apparently held in the backyard of ex-"Real Housewives of Miami" star Lisa Hochstein and her plastic surgeon husband, Lenny Hochstein.

Some of the other celebs there included Lil Pump, Scott Disick and Lil Baby. You can see from the videos there wasn't a mask in sight for the private party/concert being held for Electric Feel label founder Austin Rosen. Post Malone and 24kGoldn are among Rosen's artists ... Post wasn't at the party, but 24kGoldn was in attendance.

Guests were encouraged to wear their masks while not drinking and eating ... and they were also supposed to practice social distancing but that clearly didn't happen. And, get this ... according to the NY Post, which first reported the story, guests were on a so-called "honor system" to get tested for COVID before attending the party.

Hochstein told the Post, "We offered the backyard of our home to a friend that wanted to plan a last-minute get together. They were required to hire private security and cap the capacity at 150 people." She went on to say guests were also temperature checked and they were only allowed access to the outdoor space surrounding the house.

It looks like Lil Wayne could be let off the hook in his federal gun case by none other than President Trump ... who's reportedly expected to pardon the rapper before his term ends.

Trump's believed to have a pretty lengthy list of names for his final round of commutations and pardons -- an estimated 50 to 100 people -- and according to Fox News ... he'll announce them in a big reveal Tuesday or, at the latest, Wednesday morning before Joe Biden's inauguration.

When he does, it sounds like people anticipate Lil Wayne to be a notable beneficiary of a presidential pardon ... which ya can't help but think is perhaps a thank you for endorsing Trump in the days leading up to the 2020 election.

As you'll recall ... Weezy posed for a photo op with 45 and touted his track record with criminal justice reform, along with the Trump administration's proposed "platinum plan" for helping the Black community.

Trump also praised Lil Wayne as an activist and a "really nice guy." Weezy got a lot of criticism for their pow wow, but it seems he's on track to reap a big reward for it now.

As we reported ... Wayne pled guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet a year earlier.

The rapper's a convicted felon, so he's facing the possibility of up to 10 years in prison at sentencing ... though he's likely to get far less than that for agreeing to the guilty plea.

Bow Wow's the fall guy for all of the events in Houston this weekend that didn't follow proper COVID-19 protocols ... according to the rapper himself, who believes the mayor has it out for him.

As we reported ... BW was criticized for drawing a large, mostly unmasked crowd at a club Friday night, and caught the attention of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner because he had more gigs scheduled the rest of the weekend.

The mayor tweeted Sunday that Bow Wow's scheduled events in Houston were on his radar, adding ... "Other bars/clubs that are operating as restaurants, beyond capacity and social distancing requirements, please expect visits."

Though the mayor cited rising COVID cases and deaths in his city and made it clear "Concerts are not allowed in Houston at this time unless it is virtual," Bow Wow's taking it personally ... griping, "Safe to say the mayor of houston hates my guts."

The rapper says he's skipping town but he can't believe he's getting blamed for the whole weekend, and points out he wasn't the only celeb there over the weekend.

That's true -- as we told you ... Meek Mill and J. Prince Jr. were also at the club with Bow Wow Friday night, and neither seemed to be wearing masks, like most of the crowd.

Dr. Dre is back home, and back to doing what he does best in the wake of being released from the hospital ... making music, and looking healthy doing it.

Five-time, Grammy-winning producer Focus posted a photo Saturday of him, Dre and a bunch of other creatives hanging out in what appears to be a recording studio. Dre is front and center, giving a slight smirk, and everyone around him seems to be in high spirits too.

Focus writes, "𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱!!! We Working... I TOOK THE PIC SO IM HERE!!!" That seems to confirm what we've been hearing about Dre's condition -- that he's recovering nicely, and seems to be out of the woods, as far as immediate danger.

Ice-T said as much himself, taking to Twitter on Friday to let his followers know he'd Facetimed with Dre, and that the guy was back home, "safe" and "looking good."

As we reported, Dre was released Friday ... this after nearly a week in the ICU. Doctors had kept him there out of an abundance of caution following his brain aneurysm, in case he suffered another health scare that required immediate medical attention.

Phil Spector, the music producer responsible for some of the biggest hits in music and the architect of The Wall of Sound has died ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

We're told he died from COVID-related complications, after being transferred from his prison cell to a hospital. We're told he was diagnosed 4 weeks ago and went to the hospital but recovered well enough to return to prison, where he was serving a 19-to-life sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson.

Our sources say he relapsed, had trouble breathing and was rushed back to the hospital, where he died Saturday.

Spector began his career early ... when he was still in high school, he produced his first big hit, "To Know Him is To Love Him," by the Teddy Bears.

And then, the floodgates opened. He produced a flurry of hits ... from The Righteous Brothers "You Lost that Lovin' Feeling," "Unchained Melody," "You're My Soul and Inspiration," The Ronettes' "Be My Baby," The Crystals' "He's a Rebel," and on and on.

Spector had a deep association with The Beatles, and produced their album, "Let It Be." Among the songs, "The Long and Winding Road," "Get Back," and the title track. He also produced John Lennon's solo work, including "Instant Karma," and "Imagine."

Phil's reach was far and wide. He also produced Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High."

When Phil produced The Ronettes, he went on to marry their lead singer, Ronnie in 1968, and had a tumultuous relationship. She accused him of tormenting her during their 4 years together by telling her she was nothing -- personally or professionally -- without him, forbidding her to leave their mansion alone, and pulling guns on her.

She eventually fled barefoot from him in 1972.

Spector's "Wall of Sound" was a technique he discovered in a tunnel near Hollywood Blvd. The sound created a roaring effect, which Spector called the "Wagnerian approach to rock 'n' roll" -- it involved overdubbing scores of musicians in an orchestral style to make a fuller sound.

The technique was mimicked by the Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Spector ended up in prison for the second-degree murder of Clarkson, an actress he'd met in 2003 while she was working at the House of Blues in WeHo. They went back to his mansion, and he shot her ... although he'd claimed it was an accidental suicide.

His first trial, in 2007, was declared a mistrial, due to a hung jury, but he was convicted in a 2009 retrial.

In March 2013, Al Pacino played Spector in the movie "Phil Spector."

Spector was 81.

Latin singer Chesca -- an artist who was supposed to perform at Joe Biden's MLK Day celebration -- just announced she caught the coronavirus ... but the show will still go on, with her in the mix no less.

Chesca took to IG to break the news Saturday, writing in Spanish that she recently attended a recording session at a studio in Miami ... where one of the producers looked sick. She says she asked if it was COVID-related, and he assured it wasn't -- he said he was hungover.

Not the case it turns out ... Chesca says it was COVID all along, because everyone in the studio that day caught the virus. Chesca posted her positive test result, with a caption that reads ... "#F***COVID." Looks like she got a rapid antigen test too.

Chesca tells TMZ ... "Luckily none of us are experiencing bad symptoms and feel ok. We all tested positive as well. I have mild to 0 symptoms and I feel good just a bit of body aches."

She adds, "I feel good and I am doing the performance on my own. They are putting a camera and I’ll be alone." So Chesca's going to perform on Monday, as scheduled.

She is one of more than a dozen speakers and performers set to take center stage Monday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It appears some of the appearances are going to be virtual, while others will be held in person, with CDC guidelines in mind.

Some of the folks who will speak or sing/perform ... Aloe Blacc, Rev. Dr. Bernice King, Martin Luther King III, Rep. Sharice Davids, Rosario Dawson, Andra Day, Yo-Yo Ma, Reverand Al Sharpton, Sean Patrick Thomas, Diane Warren, Lynn Whitfield, and Bebe Winans.

The show will air Monday on Bideninagural.org, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook starting at 8 PM ET.

Dr. Dre will finally get to sleep in his own bed tonight -- he's been discharged from the hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm, but doctors are still watching him closely.

Sources close to Dre tell TMZ ... he went home Friday and while he's on the road to recovery, he still needs attention. We're told there are medical professionals at his home who will monitor him 24/7 for the next few weeks to make sure he's okay.

Our sources tell us Dre was in ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. until Wednesday, when he was then moved to a private room at the hospital. Although he's been released, we're told doctors still don't know what triggered the brain bleed -- and that's part of the reason for the at-home care.

We broke the story ... Dre suffered an aneurysm at his Pacific Palisades home on Jan. 4 and was rushed by ambulance to Cedars.

Our sources told us Dre's doctors cautiously informed his family a "bad outcome" did not appear to be on the horizon.