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George "Funky" Brown -- the key drummer and one of the founding members of Kool & The Gang -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the legendary musician died from cancer at his home in Los Angeles Thursday night, ending his amazing 59-year career as a songwriter and drummer for the legendary funk band. He'd been battling stage-4 cancer.

A rep for the group tells TMZ, "George Brown died November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer. Brown has co-written many of the band's iconic songs, including "Ladies Night," "Too Hot," "Jungle Boogie," "Celebration," and "Cherish." When asked to describe his music, Brown always replied, 'The sound of happiness.'"

GB had been diagnosed with lung cancer, and actually recovered for a while before hitting the road again to tour and perform -- but he suffered another setback this year when the cancer returned. George chronicled his health struggles last month with KCAL News.

George and the rest of the group came together in 1964 to create the supergroup in Jersey City, NJ. The other founding members included brothers Robert Bell (bass) and Ronald Bell (keyboards), Dennis Thomas (saxophone), Robert Mickens (Trumpet), Ricky West (keyboards) and Charles Smith (guitarist).

The band landed their first recording deal with De-Lite Records, cranking out their debut album titled, "Kool & The Gang," in 1969.

But they didn't reach stardom until 1973 when they released their fourth record called "Wild And Peaceful," featuring some of their biggest songs like "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging."

They followed up with a string of super successful records named "Ladies Night" (1979), "Celebrate!" (1980) and "Emergency" (1984), which sold a whopping 2 million albums in the U.S. alone. All three records produced a slew of very popular tunes, including "Celebration," which rocketed to number one on the charts.

Over the years, Kool & The Gang has been widely recognized in the music industry, snagging 2 Grammy Awards, 7 American Music Awards, a Music Business Association Chairman's Award and a Soul Train Legend Award. They were also given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Robert "Kool" Bell is the only surviving original member of the band.

A spokesperson says donations can be made in his honor to the Lung Cancer Society of America.

Brown is survived by his wife, Hanh Brown and his 5 children.

Aubrey O'Day is taking a victory lap over her thorny Diddy stance after Cassie accused him of multiple crimes ... something AOD backs 100%.

The former Danity Kane singer -- who used to be signed to Bad Boy and worked extensively with Diddy in the 2000s -- shouted out Cassie on social media after her bombshell lawsuit against her ex went public, writing ... "Been Trynna Tell Y'all For Years."

She also told Page Six she's in "complete support" of Cassie ... and that what Cassie describes in her complaint probably echoes some of what Aubrey herself has said about Diddy.

If you're unaware, Aubrey's been doing multiple interviews over the past year or so ... in which she made allegations of her own against Puff -- but not quite to the level Cassie did. AOD's concerns mostly stemmed from what she claimed were shady biz practices ... and unwanted sexual advances from Diddy that she claims she had to rebuff over the years.

Aubrey also recently slammed Diddy finally signing off on his former artists getting their publishing rights back ... claiming that he had them sign NDAs as part of the deal.

She says she was offered her own publishing rights back as well, but refused to sign the alleged NDA she says came attached to it -- something else Aubrey's feeling vindication over.

New K-pop group BabyMonster will debut with one less member than expected -- YG Entertainment just announced Ahyeon has left the ensemble to focus on her well-being.

The label addressed the news in a press release Wednesday ... saying, "Although we are saddened to be unable to introduce Ahyeon as a member of BabyMonster, we made this decision for the sake of the artist's health."

"We will spare no support so that Ahyeon can recover fully and return in good health."

There was speculation 16-year-old Ahyeon was leaving the group for months ... but YG remained tight-lipped on her status up until now.

BM -- which now consists of Asa, Chiquita, Haram, Rora, Pharita and Ruka -- will be YG's first new girl group since BLACKPINK's debut in August 2016.

There's been a ton of hype surrounding BabyMonster ... the group has raked in millions of views on YouTube despite not releasing any original songs.

The remaining members' ages range from 14-21 ... and hail from Korea, Thailand and Japan.

Kourtney Kardashian celebrated hubby Travis Barker's 48th birthday with a heartfelt tribute ... and a carousel of topless pregnancy pics.

The Blink-182 drummer took on the role of bump cradler during Kourtney's revealing shoot -- and when she ditched the clothes, he channeled his inner Janet Jackson circa 1993 with a strategic boob-cupping move.

The Polaroid IG images caught some heat online with fans likening it to a "prison conjugal visit" and others saying it was way too much PDA for their liking - "We could've lived happily without seeing these pics."

But, the star made it obvious she wasn't holding back on displaying her infatuation ... going on to gush in the caption: "To my husband, the keeper of my heart, my partner in crime, my personal heartthrob, the daddy to our little mischief-maker, my all-encompassing joy… Here's to another year of putting up with me! Happy birthday, love!"

Ensuring to express her gratitude to Travis further, Kourtney took things one step further by throwing him a Thanksgiving-themed birthday bash.

She offered a glimpse of the festive atmosphere with a series of snaps and clips with Frank Sinatra's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" playing in the background. She captioned it, "vegan thanksgiving for my baby's birthday @travisbarker ❤️."

Taylor Swift swapped out the PDA with Travis Kelce for a girly powwow with her good friend Gracie Abrams in the Big Apple on Monday night.

After a jam-packed, headline-grabbing tour stop in Argentina, Taylor was probably breaking down her weekend's events -- professional and romantic -- with her singer-songwriter pal as they laughed and chatted away.

Taylor, of course, looked chic for her outing in her oversized navy blazer atop a white dress, while Gracie kept things more casual.

The sighting comes after the "Karma" singer passionately locked lips with her NFL beau Saturday night after performing to a packed stadium of fans during her Buenos Aires stop.

The phrase "get a room" definitely came to mind when the pair made out backstage -- but the PDA was to be expected. Don't forget it came on the heels of the superstar changing the lyrics to "Karma."

The OG version -- "Karma is the guy on the screen/Coming straight home to me," was updated to "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs/Coming straight home to me." Clever 😉

The change of lyrics came as a very pleasant surprise for fans and Travis, who was seen looking stoked while vibing along to her music next to Taylor's dad.

Donna Kelce is givin' all her love and attention to Taylor Swift ... because Travis Kelce's mama was spotted watching the singer's "Eras" Tour film in theaters!

Swiftie Dannielle Sparks said in her TikTok it was her 4th time checking out the Taylor Swift concert movie -- a true fan -- but she spotted a familiar face while stepping out of a Florida movie theater.

Once the credits rolled, Dannielle says she bumped into Donna and was SHOCKED ... calling it one of the greatest moments of her freakin' life. The best part? She says no one even knew Donna was in the building during the screening.

After chatting it up with, according to Dannielle, the "sweetest human ever," she says she offered Donna a friendship bracelet, but she politely declined -- 'cause she's already got way too many!

As you know, Taylor and Travis were spotted smoochin' at her Argentina concert over the weekend ... and she changed the lyrics to her song, "Karma," just for the football star.

Gospel singer Bobbi Storm apparently doesn't know how to sit back, relax and enjoy a flight ... deciding the passengers around her needed to hear her latest single, despite some serious warnings from airline staff.

Bobbi posted video getting scolded by a Delta Airlines flight attendant after she wanted to sing a tune on the flight full of passengers before takeoff -- something the crew wasn't cool with.

Bobbi lets the whole cabin know that she was recently nominated for a couple of Grammys, and even got some applause from her fellow passengers -- who likely were just wanting this situation to close up so they could take off ... but it certainly wasn't over for Bobbi.

Bobbi ends up singing -- albeit at a quiet volume -- her track, "We Can't Forget Him," while in her seat ... and the comment section on her own post does not have folks in her corner.

People have been chiming in on her clip since posting over the weekend ... one said, "You were completely in the wrong," and another added, "You think because you’re Grammy nominated that rules don’t apply to you and the plane is your stage? Work on that ego sis."

Amid the backlash, Bobbi said in the comments she's performed on over 50 flights with no issue ... but it sounds like she tried to express her Grammy excitement on the wrong plane.

Taylor Swift is the latest performer to chastise audience members for throwing crap onstage during a show ... but her warning was sweetly laced.

The pop star was doing her thing Sunday night in Buenos Aires, when she stopped singing after fans began throwing "presents" at her.

That's the word Taylor used to describe the unwanted gifts -- although she made it clear it wasn't cool she still said she appreciated the gesture.

More to the point, she made it clear hurling objects freaks her out, and she explained why, and then ended with a gesture of love.

She's far from the first artist to have to deal with this -- in fact, stuff getting thrown onstage has been a thing all year for artists like Bebe Rexha, Kelsea Ballerini, Maluma and Drake.

Lucky for T-Swift, nothing made direct contact with her, so the fact she's getting in front of the problem shows.

Considering how loyal the Swifties, we're guessing they'll follow her orders.

A collection of rare, psychedelic drawings by Jimi Hendrix is up for sale ... but fans are gonna need a lot more than a couple impressive guitar licks to score this treasure trove.

Ten drawings by Jimi are being sold by Momentsintime.com -- the guitarist's artwork was drawn with a color pen in the late 1960s ... and as fans know, that's exactly when Jimi's fame rose to an all-time high.

The collection has a price tag of $195k and was originally a part of the Bob & Kathy Levine Collection ... 2 people who worked with Jimi back in the day.

Bob and Kathy actually rushed over to Jimi's home and office in 1970 when the musician died to change the locks -- knowing multiple people had keys to both spots. They wanted to ensure none of his stuff got snatched.

They sent most of Jimi's possessions to his family but kept some mementos -- like these pieces of art -- for themselves. They sold this collection at some point, and it's changed hands over the years ... last hitting the market in 2008.

Barbra Streisand's life didn't just inspire her hits -- it apparently led to others reaping the benefits of chart success ... including Aerosmith, which rode the coattails of her pillow talk.

According to Barb's new memoir, 'My Name is Barbra,' Steven Tyler and co. have her to thank for their hugely popular single "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" ... 'cause she says the inspiration from the song actually came from something her husband once told her in bed.

The way BS tells it ... she and her then-BF James Brolin were laying next to each other one night (sometime in the mid-'90s) not long after they'd first met/started hooking up.

She says they were staring at each other, when JB said ... "I don't want to fall asleep." She asked why and he replied, "'Cause I'll miss you.'" Barb adds ... "What a beautiful, poetic thing to say. And it captured a moment of complete bliss… physical, emotional, spiritual."

About a year after that, in 1997, Barbra says she was doing an interview with Barbara Walters on "20/20," during which she recounted that sweet moment ... something Diane Warren was also watching from home when this episode aired, so claims Barbra.

One thing led to another, and DW eventually wrote Aerosmith's first #1 hit in '98 ... which went on to be used in "Armageddon" and be nominated for an Oscar that year too.

After seeing how much success the song garnered, Barbra writes ... "It was so gratifying to see so many people responding to Jim's words. Well, no wonder… so did I!"

Selena Gomez has been branded a "coward" by a Jewish organization ... after embroiling herself in controversy over the Israel-Hamas war.

Speaking to TMZ, Mitchell Bard for the Jewish organization American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) lambasted Selena for falling victim to the intense pressure put on celebs to boycott and demonize Israel.

He tells us instead of speaking on the massacre of 1,400 Israelis and the taking of 240 hostages, including the elderly, disabled, women and children as young as 9 months ... Selena's priority lies with her business, which was threatened after the Rare Beauty's CEO followed pro-Israel accounts.

The org also details its disappointment over her choosing to "pacify bullies" hoping to boycott Rare Beauty by "taking the popular position that Palestinians who have been sacrificed by Hamas are the victims" ... with a pro-Palestine-leaning statement shared to RB's IG.

In stark contrast ... the very same IG post delights Alia Malak, a founding member of the Palestinian organization, Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), who tells TMZ, "Selena Gomez is one of many thousands of artists and cultural figures worldwide calling for ceasefire, justice and accountability, joining Hollywood figures, leading Black scholars and artists, Jewish writers and artists, prominent authors, visual artists, and many others."

They add, "When UN experts and others are warning of an Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, these artists are on the right side of history. Palestinians call on artists and arts organizations to speak out loudly for a ceasefire, and for an end to oppression, as many had done against apartheid South Africa, to contribute to freedom, justice, and equality."

This comes after Rare Beauty's statement on IG acknowledged the slaughter of 1,400 Israelis ... saying that attacks on civilians are wrong ... but alluding their main concern was "protecting Palestine civilians."

An enormous collection of Irene Cara's personal items from her Largo, FL, estate has gone up for auction ... nearly a year after the "Flashdance" singer passed away at 63.

Jewelry, artwork, tapes, personal memorabilia, and costumes Irene wore are among 280 pieces up for grabs online ... after being personally removed by Richard Stedman Estate Services from her residence, where she semi-retired and continued developing music privately.

Items from the late icon's stash also include vinyl, shoes, handbags, autographs, and her electric piano ... while additional belongings come from her touring trunk.

Each item holds a Certificate of Authenticity authorized by her Estate Personal Representatives.

As we reported, the singer passed away in November 2022 inside her Florida home.

Earlier this year, medical docs obtained by TMZ ruled Irene's official cause of death as Arteriosclerotic and Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease. It was also noted Irene had diabetes.

Irene enjoyed a storied career, scooping an Oscar gong for "Best Original Song" for her iconic "Flashdance" song "What a Feeling" in the '80s, and receiving a "Best Actress" Golden Globe nom for the movie "Fame".

Wynonna Judd's nerves are clearly settled -- the day after her CMA performance had fans worried about her health, she put on a great show in Texas ... with no apparent issues.

The country singer showed up and showed out for fans Thursday night at the Tobin Center in San Antonio as part of her "Back to Wy" tour.

The crowd seemed to love the show, and more importantly, she didn't seem to be giving anyone a reason to worry -- performing just like she usually does, although she did joke about forgetting some of the words at one point.

As we reported, the same couldn't be said for her performance at the Country Music Association Awards Wednesday night in Nashville ... remember, she joined Jelly Roll for his song, "Need A Favor," but then grabbed a hold of him, seemingly to stay upright.

Jelly made sure to stick by her side throughout their performance, fueling fans' belief something was wrong. After seeing the comments, Wynonna later posted a video chalking up her unsteadiness to nerves getting the best of her.

Travis Barker played the drums to his baby's heartbeat while in the delivery room with Kourtney Kardashian before the kiddo was born ... and folks online are calling it a bit "ick."

The Blink-182 drummer did what he does best in the clip, shared by the man himself on Thursday ... with the caption, "Practicing to my babies [sic] heartbeat."

While some couldn't help but point out he's one of the best drummers in the game, others chimed in with their distaste for the delivery room performance -- with one saying Kourtney, who seems to be recording the vid, has to have "angel-like" patience.

Trav's TikTok prompted comments like, "I would literally be so annoyed I couldn't do it," "That would've driven me up the wall" and, "Imagine being in the room next to this."

It wasn't all bashing, though ... plenty of folks simply congratulated Travis and Kourtney on their new baby, calling the music "so beautiful."

As we reported, Kourtney and Travis left Cedars-Sinai on Tuesday after spending multiple days at the hospital ... although it's still unclear exactly what day their baby, Rocky, was actually born.

Singer Carly Waddell -- more known for her TV dating conquests -- opened for Nick Carter Thursday wearing a t-shirt with Lady Gaga sitting at a piano. Interesting, since she had a huge issue with the star doing just that during their time together at college.

In fact ... Carly said she would be driven crazy by the singer showing off her vocals on the piano when while they were in an NYU cafeteria -- a statement that caused widespread fury among Gaga's Little Monsters.

But, the musician took the backlash in stride with her choice of stage attire for the Akron, Ohio stop on Nick's "Who I Am" tour.

Remember ... just days earlier, Carly explained on fellow "Bachelor" alum Jason Tartick's podcast that she was "not a fan" of Gaga when they were students at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

She cited Gaga's main offense as her singing "Wicked" at the piano at the top of her lungs during break every single day, which forced her to eat her meals in the hallway away from the commotion.

King Kong ain't got s*** on Jared Leto ... not after he scaled the tippy-top of the Empire State Building simply to promote his band 30 Seconds to Mars' new tour.

The singer/actor took to the sky above NYC Thursday morning, telling the 'TODAY' hosts he made it to the top of the iconic skyscraper -- something that had always been a goal of his.

He says on his way up, he stopped around the 80th floor where he saw his mom inside, which was a nice surprise ... but when he got to the top of the 102-floor building, he said the views were pretty incredible, especially as the sun started to rise.

The feat wasn't done without a bit of bloodshed, however -- showing hosts Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly, Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones his beat-up paws ... but it sounds like it was worth it.

Jared's big climb wasn't just a bucket list check-off -- he's also promoting the upcoming world tour for his band, 30 Seconds to Mars ... which kicks off in March.

Gotta admit, it's a pretty unique way to sell tickets.

The guy's no stranger to daring climbs like this ... he's been scaling buildings and some insane rock formations for a while now, all of which certainly prepared him for his grueling skyscraper milestone.