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Gene Simmons is calling BS on the media for playing up the seriousness of his recent car wreck ... writing the incident off as a "fender-bender."

The rock and roll legend was spotted by photogs in Los Angeles Wednesday ... getting behind the wheel of a car just weeks after he passed out while driving in Malibu and crashed into another vehicle.

Simmons spoke to the paps ... and called the media "fake news" -- 'cause he feels the severity of his car crash was blown up in the press ... when he says it was really just a run-of-the-mill accident.

Billie Eilish had no problem being the "bad guy" at Wednesday's WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards ... calling on the billionaires who sat before her to give away their money!

Check out the video -- the musician boldly addressed the ultra-wealthy folks in the room as she accepted her Music Innovator Award at the New York City ceremony, saying ... "I love you all but there's a few people in here that have a lot more money than me ... and if you're a billionaire, why are you a billionaire?"

She went on ... "No hate, but yeah. Give your money away, shorties."

Longtime Philadelphia radio DJ Pierre Robert has died, according to Beasley Media Group, the parent company of his longtime station 93.3 WMMR-FM.

Robert was found dead at his home Wednesday, and a cause of death wasn't immediately released, according to 6ABC in Philadelphia.

Robert was originally from California. He began his career in San Francisco, and later moved to Philadelphia and started at WMMR in 1981.

Luke Bryan's finally opened up about what really happened to his late sister Kelly, who died back in 2007.

The country star made his comments during his appearance on Tuesday's episode of the "All There Is with Anderson Cooper" podcast, and he revealed his sibling died of sudden death syndrome.

Sudden death syndrome encompasses a variety of fatal cardiac conditions, according to Healthline.

Luke said Kelly had unexpectedly died while doing laundry, and said her death was as if "somebody just turned the switch off on her."

Luke said it took an extended period of time to find out exactly why his sister had died, and said everything surrounding her death was "inconclusive." He also recalled Kelly had suffered an orbital bone injury, which he surmised was the result of her falling and knocking herself out.

Tragedy revisited Bryan's family ... Kelly's husband, Ben Cheshire, died after suffering a heart attack eight years after his wife's death, according to Us Weekly.

The singer subsequently adopted their three children, Jordan, Kris, and Tilde, who were raised alongside his children, Thomas and Tatum.

Luigi Mangione is keeping himself going behind bars thanks to some surprising ladies -- Taylor Swift and Charli XCX.

In a new fan letter circulating online, which we authenticated, Luigi explained he recently downloaded their music to his prison tablet at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center -- even admitting he’d never really listened to them before, but decided to give it a shot after a fake list of his "favorite artists" went viral.

Turns out, the alleged murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson actually tried out Taylor’s "cardigan" while walking laps on the tier... until another inmate, known as "King," caught wind of it.

Sombr thought he was dialing up Selena Gomez for a cheeky prank ...  but instead, it was her husband Benny Blanco who answered -- and the awkwardness was off the charts.

It all went down during Sombr’s "Call Your Ex Onstage" bit -- but a playful jab at Selena turned weird when Benny picked up … and was straight-up baffled about why he was ringing him.

You’ve gotta see the whole thing play out ... we can’t hear Benny’s side, but from what it looks like, BB was clearly grilling Sombr, trying to figure out why this call was even happening.

Remember the iconic leather vest Britney Spears wore while pole dancing in the "Gimme More" music video? Well, it can be yours!

The seller, Daniel Shoneye, tells TMZ, the piece of 2007 history is going up for auction. He has listed the vest with Julien's auction with a starting bid of $250, but don't expect it to stay that low-priced for long. Daniel told us despite the auction house's estimate of $1k-$2k he's expecting it to go in the $15k-$20k range.

According to Daniel, the jacket is a one-of-a-kind hand-sewn vest with rabbit fur that "cannot be replicated" and was custom-made via Ivan Kane Enterprises.

Kelly Osbourne rang in her 41st birthday -- her first without dad Ozzy Osbourne -- with family at Los Angeles' historic Chateau Marmont.

Check out the clip of her heading into the posh hotel ... she appears to be in high spirits as she holds her nearly 3-year-old son, Sidney, close on her hip while her Slipknot DJ fiancé Sid Wilson gets their stroller together.

She showed off her frame in a fitted black dress and drew attention to her famous cheekbones by putting her platinum blonde hair in a ponytail.

Longtime jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, who played with greats like Miles Davis and Chick Corea, died on Sunday.

The musician died at his home in Woodstock, New York, and he was surrounded by friends and family in his last hours, reports The Independent. His personal assistant reportedly stated the cause of death was congestive heart failure.

DeJohnette's musical career started at an early age, and he played piano and sang in doo-wop groups before he began playing drums in various jazz combos, according to The Guardian.

The drummer began working with Davis in the late 1960s, right when the trumpet player began moving away from traditional jazz and began working in influences from other genres of music.

DeJohnette remained with Davis' group until 1971, and he later collaborated with artists like Sonny Rollins and Herbie Hancock.

He received a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2009, and he won a second Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album in 2022.

The drummer also played piano on various recordings over the years, and he performed a solo concert utilizing the instrument in 2024, according to The New York Times.

DeJohnette was 83 years old.

Paris Hilton is certainly not that innocent ... so it makes sense she's paying homage to her pal Britney Spears to kick off Halloween week!

Paris just posted several fire snaps of herself wearing the red skin-tight bodysuit Brit wore in her iconic "Oops!…I Did It Again" music video.

And Paris really went all out on this one ... by recreating the space scenery from the 2000 mega-hit.

KISS has suffered another blow ... Danny Francis, the legendary band's head of security, has passed away.

Co-lead vocalist, Paul Stanley, 73, made the announcement on X, writing, "Danny Francis, my dear friend, assistant and so much more for 30 years of tours and life has died after a brutal fight with liver cancer. He was loved by Erin and all my children and his kindness was given to everyone he came in contact with. My condolences to his entire family."

This comes as Stanley and the rest of the band are still mourning the sudden loss of guitarist Ace Frehley.

Kendall Jenner certainly wasn't a third wheel during a recent outing with the Biebers ... 'cause Justin and Hailey made her feel like part of the group by wrapping her up in a threeway embrace.

The trio were spotted at the Dijon show in San Diego Saturday night vibing to the music in a super famous sandwich formation ... Kendall in front, Hailey directly behind her, arms curled around Kendall's stomach.

Justin's in the back holding them all together in one big bear hug ... while all they gently sway to the dulcet tones of Dijon's voice.

The Chainsmokers proved once again they know how to throw a party ... maybe too well, as their blowout bash for the release of their latest EP got so wild the police had to intervene ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the duo celebrated their EP 'Breathe' with an over-the-top event packed at a private house in the Hollywood Hills Friday night.

Guests, including Corey Gamble, Zack Bia, Carmella Rose, Mike Majlak and more, arrived to find a custom DJ booth, trippy art installations, and signature cocktails inspired by the album's vibe.

Ciara's no stranger to sharing sexy snapshots on social media, and they're something of an issue for us ... because we just can't leave 'em alone!

And since the singer's hitting the big 4-0 this weekend, we thought we'd celebrate her special day by putting together a gallery of her most sizzling shots from over the past few years!

Ariana Grande just confirmed her fans' worst fear -- she nearly stopped making music ... until "Wicked" changed her mind!

That's right -- AG confirmed "Wicked" helped her find her inspiration to hit the studio again after secretly deciding she was never going to "make an album ever again," the pop star revealed on Friday's "Shut Up Evan" podcast.

As you know, the pop star took a hiatus from releasing music as she fully dove into her role of Glinda in the movie adaptation of the popular musical ... and fans were throwing red flags all over the place. But, she settled their fears when she released 2024's "Eternal Sunshine."

It's going to be a minute before fans see Nelly Furtado performing on stage ... 'cause she says she's stepping away for the "foreseeable future."

The "Maneater" hitmaker announced the shocking news on Instagram Friday, telling fans while she's so thankful for her journey ever since her first album "Whoa, Nelly!" was released 25 years ago ... she feels it's time to "step away" to focus on "other creative and personal endeavors."

She didn't reveal what's up next for her ... but confirmed she will always be writing music, even if that doesn't mean performing it.