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Shaquille O'Neal is helping ease the pain for a Georgia family struck by tragedy ... he's paying for the funeral of a boy who accidentally shot and killed himself.

13-year-old Malachi Hemphill was showing off a gun on Instagram Live when it accidentally went off. His family heard a loud boom ... and his mother and sister found him in his bedroom in a pool of blood. He died Wednesday.

Shaq heard the sad news and visited the family's home in Atlanta Thursday night and offered to pay for Malachi's services.

The NBA legend says he wants to help the family deal with the tragedy.

The boy's grandmother said the family didn't have insurance for Malachi, so Shaq's gesture is "a blessing and very touching" and she appreciates everything he does for the community.

The day has finally arrived ... April the Giraffe is about to give birth live on camera!!!

It's been a long time coming ... April's had a live stream camera pinned on her since February, when she was first expected to pop. It's attracted more than 80 million viewers and even picked up Toys 'R' Us as a sponsor.

It'll be the 4th calf for April, the first for her boo, Oliver. Oliver has been by April's side through the whole thing in the adjacent pen at the Animal Adventure Park in upstate New York.

Kendall Jenner's ready for mics all up in her business when she hits up Coachella this weekend ... but there are strings attached -- NO PEPSI TALK!!!

Our Kendall sources tell us the model's got several interviews lined up when she hits up events at the festival ... but questions must be submitted in advance. Everyone interviewing Kendall will have a hard rule ... no direct or indirect mention of her failed Pepsi ad.

As we reported ... Kendall's hosting a party for the dating app Bumble and she'll be a guest DJ at another event.

There are consequences for outlets that get sneaky -- Kendall will be immediately pulled from the interview and the outlet will forever be persona non grata.

Ask at your peril ...

Aaron Hernandez will NOT spend the rest of his life behind bars ... so says his attorney, Jose Baez, who tells TMZ Sports he believes he can overturn the ex-NFL star's murder conviction.

United Airlines ain't so friendly these days, and it's like we're back in '62 with all the talk about nukes. So we gotta ask ...

Meet Janet Jackson's bundle of joy ... fresh off a nap.

Eissa Al Mana's now 3 months old, and Mom decided to give the world a first look at her baby boy. Janet gave birth on January 3rd ... he's her first.

We now know she and Wissam Al Mana separated shortly after welcoming their son to the world.

Interesting that Janet chose to reveal him less than a week after news broke of the split, but no debating ... super cute kid.

Mom and Dad are breaking up, but at least they did good work beforehand.

Coachella cops have a new headache -- 'cause drugs and counterfeit tickets weren't enough -- they're shutting down concertgoers who abuse handicapped parking permits.

Law enforcement sources tell us police at the festival will be on the lookout for fake, stolen or borrowed handicap parking placards. Meaning ... snatching grandma's for the weekend so you can score primo parking ... ain't gonna fly anymore. We're told it's been a big problem for years at Coachella, so 5-0's cracking down.

You've been warned, and know this ... if ya try it and get busted, it's a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 fine or jail.

A Washington Redskins linebacker has been cast to portray slain Redskins legend Sean Taylor in a new TV show about his murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've learned 25-year-old Khairi Fortt will star as Taylor on a June episode of "The Perfect Murder" on Investigation Discovery ... which will explore how cops helped solve Sean's tragic 2007 home invasion murder.

The show is a combination of real-life interviews with investigators and family members, and scenes dramatizing the actual events.

But get this ... the role of Taylor's father will be played by Fortt's father, Guy Fortt -- who was an actor working with producers on the show last year when he suggested they consider Khairi to play Sean.

Khairi got the audition and executive producers Kevin Kaufman and Rick Tirelli tell us it was an obvious fit.

Break a leg (or don't, the Redskins wouldn't like that).

Transgender model Isis King is taking a strong stance in support of 'Survivor' contestant Zeke Smith after his televised outing, because she went through the same thing on "America's Next Top Model."

Isis was the first transgender contestant on 'ANTM' in 2008. She was outed on TV, and some rival models refused to acknowledge her transition. Tyra later funded her reassignment surgery.

Isis says Jeff Varner put unfair pressure on Zeke, especially because his being trans had NOTHING to do with winning or losing 'Survivor.'

She did say there's ONE situation where it's relevant, and we highly doubt it applies to tribal council.

El Pollo Loco made a gross mistake and tossed a crazy extra ingredient into a side of macaroni and cheese ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

A California woman claims she took her 3 kids to the chicken joint, and found a "foreign object" in her side dish. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, that object was a bloody alcohol swab. She doesn't say if it actually got in her boca.

In the suit, she's demanding $75k for herself and the minor children, who she says all sustained injuries to their health, strength and activity ... just like their Mom did.

Sorry, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson fans, your hero is NEVER coming back ... so says UFC Champ Tyron Woodley,who tells TMZ Sports he knows what Rumble's next move is, and it ain't fighting.

We got Tyron out and asked him if he thought Rumble was done for good, or if there was a chance he'd pull a Jay Z, Michael Jordan type deal and change his mind.

The 2 protesters who bum-rushed Ryan Lochte during his live season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" have cut a deal to avoid time behind bars ... but it cost them a fortune.

Sources tell us the judge and the L.A. City Attorney's Office dropped the case after the protesters agreed to pay BBC Worldwide Productions -- which owns 'DWTS' -- and CBS -- where the show was filmed -- $20,000.

Here's the way the law goes ... there's something called a "civil compromise." It means if someone is charged with certain crimes, they can have the charges dismissed if they work out a deal with the victims.

The protesters faced 6 months in jail after being charged with leaving a spectator area and entering upon a stage as well as interfering with a performance -- both misdemeanors.

As we first reported, the protesters went to 'DWTS' because they felt Ryan's bad behavior in Brazil was the reason one of their family members got busted for something unrelated ... out of revenge for the U.S.

Aaron Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, is adamant the ex-NFL star is "not a killer" -- and says the jury in his double murder case GOT IT RIGHT with the not guilty verdict.

Baez says there was "an abundance" of reasonable doubt in the case -- and tells us he's very happy for Aaron and his family now that the former New England Patriots tight end has been exonerated.

Britney Spears' tan in Kauai is lookin' like the rest of her body ... red hot and damn fine!

Brit's currently on break from her Las Vegas show, which involves a lot of dancing. She does a ton of yoga too and all that hard work is speaking for itself.

We'd say she blended in with the other vacationers, but truth is, that bod is anything but undercover. Especially from behind.