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Paul O'Neill -- founder of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra -- has died after a private battle with a chronic illness, the band confirms. He was 61.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Paul was found dead in a Tampa hotel room. There are no signs of foul play, but police don't know yet how long he was deceased before they responded to a 911 call. We're told the Medical Examiner has his body now.

Paul's band says, "The entire Trans-Siberian Orchestra family, past and present, is heartbroken to share the devastating news that Paul O’Neill has passed away from chronic illness," a statement said on the band's official Facebook page.

"He was our friend and our leader -- a truly creative spirit and an altruistic soul. This is a profound and indescribable loss for us all."

O'Neill created the band back in 1996 and hit it big with its metal-infused take on classic Christmas songs. The band has sold more than 12 MILLION albums.

Stephen Belafonte tormented Mel B's family, saying they'd be cut off from her again ... according to Melanie's sister, who's now dancing on Stephen's metaphorical grave.

Danielle Brown says "8 years of abusive calls me and my mum have had stating we would never see Melanie again. I am laughing and celebrating as you were wrong. You are a sorry excuse of a man."

She also told Lorraine Giles -- the nanny Mel says Belafonte got pregnant -- to "rot in hell."

And perhaps best of all, Danielle quoted Beyonce in a parting shot at her sister's estranged husband -- "To the left to the left everything you own in the box to the left."

#Sisterhood

Britney Spears might be taken but that's not stopping her from picking famous, freshly single bachelors out of the crowd at her Las Vegas show.

"Bachelor in Paradise" star Josh Murray, who also won Andi Dorfman's 'Bachelorette' season, got the "Slave 4 U" serenade from Brit at her Wednesday night concert. It's a part of the act ... Brit picks someone in the crowd, dresses 'em up in straps and makes 'em dance.

Lance Bass has done it, but doesn't look like Brit knew she had a celeb onstage ... based on what she says to him at the end of the routine.

Tom Brady had David Blaine over for dinner Wednesday and it was a healthy, carb-free meal -- GLASS!!

Multiple sources close to Kourtney and Quincy tell us this is strictly a friend zone transaction. Nothing more.

Kourtney Kardashian may hang with Scott Disick from time to time, but she's clearly on the market ... because we got her out on a date with Diddy's son, Quincy Brown.

The 37-year-old MILF was leaving Craig's in WeHo Wednesday ... where she was mum on sister Kendall Jenner's Pepsi fiasco, but gotta say ... looking good.

Mama June ain't Kendra Wilkinson's type ... nothing personal, the former Playmate just likes a little more exotic booty.

We got Kendra at LAX where she applauded Mama June's massive 300 lb weight loss, but stopped short of recommending her for a Playboy spread.

Kendra has other standards in mind.

Another embarrassment for the Secret Service ... this time a member of Vice President Mike Pence's detail was suspended by the agency after he was charged with soliciting a prostitute.

The agent was reportedly arrested after cops saw him leaving a Maryland hotel last week. The agency says the agent was off duty at the time of his arrest. He's been placed on administrative leave and stripped of his security clearance.

There's actually an explanation -- though not necessarily a good one -- for Pepsi's decision to run the disastrous Kendall Jenner ad ... but to understand you have to take a trip back to the '60s.

CLICK THIS LINK and check out the second photo ... it became world famous, shot in Washington, D.C. in 1967 during a Vietnam protest. It shows a demonstrator with flower power approaching a slew of cops armed with bayonets.

Bjorn Charpentier -- the director of photography for the Pepsi ad -- tells us it was this picture, and not a Black Lives Matter protest, that inspired the commercial. Substitute Pepsi for a sunflower, and there you have it.

Lots of people assumed the inspiration for the scene was the Black Lives Matter protest last July in Baton Rouge, where a woman in a sundress stood peacefully as cops approached her.

Charpentier insists his shoot had nothing to do with that demonstration ... it was all about flower power.

By the way ... Charpentier shot a commercial in 2014 for the Leica Camera company which showcased recreations of 100 famous photos, including the 1967 flower photo. So, that was on his brain.

Joe Budden's had enough of all the crappy, unwatchable movies that are being released ... so he's writing his own.

The rapper and host of "I'll Name This Podcast Later" tells us ... he's had it just sitting on the sidelines and critiquing trash films -- including a recent box office flop -- so he's penning a psychological thriller.

Michelle Rodriguez got a strange feeling from a prosthetic penis.

To be clear, she was wearing it for her new movie, "The Assignment." She plays a transgender female hitman (if that makes sense) and the role called for her own "Boogie Nights" moment.

Michelle was outside "The Daily Show" studio in NYC when she broke down her genital experience -- y'know, being a woman playing a man who transitions to a woman.

Open your mind and check out the clip -- Michelle's answer is a bit of a head-scratcher, but definitely sounds like she had a good time.

Frank Thomas says one of the best moments of his entire life is the time he got a phone call from President Obama on his cell phone ... right before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame!

A big-time screenwriter is suing a woman he met on Tinder, claiming she was using an episode of "Entourage" as a template to ruin his life.

Derek Connolly, whose credits include the upcoming "Star Wars: Episode IX," as well as "Jurassic World" and "Kong: Skull Island," met a woman named Ada Hui last May on the dating app. They dated until late last month, and the breakup was super bad.

He says she exploded in a fit of rage, posting their text messages on Instagram and threatening to damage his career. Connolly says Hui even insinuated he was in harm's way.

Then it got really ugly. Connolly says she told him to drop off her stuff by a certain time, or else it would be "Entourage S7 E7," a reference to Season 7 Episode 7 titled "Tequila and Coke," in which Ari Gold was blackmailed.

He says she threatened to "gut" his identity and self-worth. He says she cautioned, "You won't see it coming" before it hits him "like a ton of bricks."

Suge Knight's ex-wife says the bombshell theory she murdered Tupac Shakur is a lie that makes ZERO sense because he was the meal ticket for her husband's record label.

Sharitha Golden tells TMZ she's heard the allegation for years -- that she plotted with Death Row Records staffer Reggie White Jr. to take out Suge that fateful night in Vegas ... and Tupac was killed in the crossfire. It's now widespread due to its inclusion in a new Tupac documentary.

Sharitha says the hardest part is how it's affecting her children, one of whom is Suge's daughter.

Suge's attorney tells us the info purported in the documentary is untrue. Sharitha's so angry about it, she says a lawsuit could be on the horizon.

Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad fiasco had exactly the opposite effect you'd think on Wall Street ... while Kendall and the company were under attack, the stock went up, but the mea culpa was a disaster.

Check out the movement Wednesday from opening bell. There was a small dip, but then the stock went in a vertical direction right up until 1:20 PM ET when the ad was yanked. From there it was all downhill.

Now, even more counterintuitive news. You'd think Coke would benefit from the Pepsi scandal, but it actually did worse at the close. Coke closed down .26% and Pepsi closed down .12%.