TMZ.com Home

"Mean" Gene Okerlund was seriously injured during a nasty fall back in December ... triggering a rapid decline in his health that ultimately led to his death, his son tells TMZ Sports.

We spoke with Todd Okerlund who says Okerlund suffered multiple broken ribs during the fall at his Florida home and was treated at a hospital in Sarasota.

Todd says Okerlund had been in frail health for a while but the fall clearly made things much worse.

Just 4 days before his death, Gene was admitted to a nursing home .... but he began to have trouble breathing and was rushed to a hospital on Wednesday where he ultimately passed away with his wife, Jeanne, by his side.

Todd tells us ... the family has been touched by all of the support for his father. Todd also says Gene LOVED his career and would have done it for free.

"Mean" Gene is a WWE Hall of Famer who was a key part of the company's success -- with legendary interviews with Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and more.

Vince McMahon also issued a statement on Okerlund ... saying, "It was impossible not to crack a smile whenever 'Mean' Gene Okerlund entered a room. He was the voice behind so many of WWE’s most iconic and entertaining moments, and the WWE family will miss him immensely."

Gene was 76.

R.I.P.

One half of Rae Sremmurd got into a street fight in New Zealand that ended with someone getting stabbed and rushed to the hospital.

Slim Jxmmi and other members of the hip-hop duo's crew were reportedly walking in downtown Auckland Thursday afternoon when the brawl broke out. It allegedly started over someone recording video of the group.

In this video, you can see Slim on the ground wrestling with several people -- one of whom seems to be a woman -- while fists fly in the background. There's one huge guy, possibly a bodyguard, throwing haymakers.

Witnesses say they heard a bottle break in the skirmish and saw someone wielding it as a weapon. Jxmmi was seen afterward talking to police with blood on his body, and one person was reportedly taken to the Auckland City Hospital with stab wounds.

It's unclear who that person was or who did the stabbing, and there's no sign of Swae Lee in the altercation.

Olivia Newton-John looks great, which would only come as a surprise if you believed a report that claimed she was "clinging to life."

The legendary "Grease" star was out in Santa Barbara Wednesday on the way to grab lunch with her husband ... smiling and looking very alive and well.

Olivia debunked death bed speculation later in the day by cheerfully wishing everyone a Happy New Year and dropping a famous Mark Twain quote -- and these pics back up those words.

As you may know ... Olivia's a cancer survivor, who announced in 2017 she was undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her spine.

A$AP Bari -- co-founder of A$AP Mob -- is pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, but he won't do any time.

The hip-hop designer appeared in a London courthouse Thursday to enter his guilty plea on one count of sexual assault for an incident at London's Curtain Hotel in July 2017.

As part of his plea deal, Bari was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, pay the victim $3,150 ... and he dodges jail time. The judge who presided over the case said, "The court does have concerns in this matter because it has exposed a very unpleasant attitude by you towards women."

She added, "You say that you were angry but there is no need to ever be so abusive and humiliating to a female."

In a leaked video of the incident, Bari can be seen chasing a naked woman who was in bed with his assistant into the bathroom and ordering her to give him oral sex. In addition to the criminal charge ... the victim sued him, and he countersued ... calling her a liar.

The civil case is still ongoing.

11:30 AM PT-- Hopkins just spoke with reporters about the decision to help Jazmine's family ... saying, "The city of Houston is always supportive of me, of this team, so I felt in my heart it's only right that I give back to those who are down."

"It's a tough situation for that to happen."

Houston Texans superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins says every penny from his NFL Wild Card round playoff paycheck will go to the family of a 7-year-old girl who was gunned down this weekend on a Texas highway.

Jazmine Barnes was killed around 7 AM on Sunday morning when a man in a red pickup truck pulled up next to the family car and opened fire for no apparent reason. The family was going on an early morning coffee run at the time of the incident.

Jazmine's mother, LaPorsha Washington, was also struck in the attack -- but she survived. Jazmine's 3 sisters were also in the car during the shooting and suffered cuts from shattered glass.

A manhunt is now underway in Texas -- the suspect has been described as a white man with a beard who appears to be in his 40s.

Officials say it doesn't appear the family did anything to provoke the driver.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said, "There was nothing to indicate that the family did anything wrong in any way ... They were simply just driving along the service road when this happened to them."

Clearly, the story has resonated with Hopkins -- who said, "When I see Jazmine Barnes' face, I see my own daughter."

"I'm pledging my playoff check this week to help her family with funeral costs and to support @shaunking @SherriffED_HCSO @SylvesterTurner in bringing this man to justice. On Saturday, I will be playing in your honor, Jazmine."

Social activist Shaun King has announced a $100,000 reward is being offered for info that leads to the arrest of the killer.

Ariana Grande is a hard left turn for Coachella, but it's a turn that was made consciously and involves women, empowerment and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Sources connected with production tell TMZ, choosing Ariana to headline the festival was a little tricky. There have only been 3 other women who headlined -- Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Bjork -- and Beyonce's appearance last year made it all the more daunting to choose a female artist who would not stand in Bey's shadow.

We're told the pick was designed to showcase female empowerment, noting Ariana has been through hell recently but always managed to pick herself up and move forward. Our sources say everyone involved in the decision believes Ariana can measure up to Beyonce ... and they believe it will resonate especially with women. As one source put it, "Ariana is inspirational, and millions of people, particularly women, will connect with her."

They also note Ariana has an international audience, and the media and social media pickup the announcement has generated proves the point.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have gone with a different surrogate to deliver their new baby -- but it ain't because they didn't like the last one ... she was simply unavailable.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Kim and Kanye hired a new woman to carry their fourth child, a boy ... not the 20-something-year-old they used last year for baby Chicago. The reason is simple ... that lady was already pregnant with a kid of her own.

We're told KK and KW's previous surrogate -- a young, healthy, fit woman in her 20s -- just gave birth to a daughter on Christmas Eve. Considering she'd just popped Chicago out less than 12 months prior, it's clear she and her husband of 5 years got busy quick.

BTW ... Kim and Kanye's first surrogate already has two boys of her own, so this is her third child.

No word on the profile of the Kardashian-Wests' new surrogate just yet, but ya gotta think she'll be comparable to the last one ... and Kim and Kanye will likely be just as involved during the pregnancy.

As we reported ... Kim and Kanye's new baby boy is due in early May. He'll be their fourth child in addition to North, Saint and Chi.

Justin Bieber's in a singing mood ... and based on what he's singing, he's also in the mood to get some!

The Biebs was waiting with the missus, Hailey Bieber, outside the Montage Hotel in Bev Hills Wednesday night when he broke into song and dance ... inspired by Marvin Gaye.

Check out JB in the vid -- the "Sexual Healing" serenading starts off directed at Hailey, but then he pivots and belts out the lyrics for the world to hear ... before pulling in a random guy for some lovin'.

The dude rolls with it and even snags a selfie with the couple ... then Justin continues putting on a free show.

If this is how he's kicking off 2019, it's gonna be a goood year for the newlyweds.

Ariana Grande will headline this year's Coachella music festival along with Tame Impala and Childish Gambino.

Coachella released its lineup Wednesday night and revealed Ariana will be the final performer of the event ... which goes for two weekends outside Palm Springs, California. Other acts include Kid Cudi, Zedd, Khalid, Pusha T, Solange and Weezer.

Grande is coming off a massive end to 2018, with her single, "Thank U, Next," and plenty of headlines including her broken engagement with Pete Davidson and death of her ex, Mac Miller.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye was in negotiations as one of the festival's headliners but ultimately decided against it because he wasn't allowed to design his own stage.

Coachella sees more than 100,000 people attend per weekend each year.

Jared Leto's surrounded by a throng of bikini-clad women on a Caribbean island ... and it's pretty clear he's the straw stirring the drink.

The "30 Seconds to Mars" frontman was cruising on a yacht Wednesday in St. Barts with a bunch of very eye-catching friends ... including several women in bikinis and some ripped dudes. It's in the 80s down there -- like always -- so they're feasting on some Vitamin D.

Jared and co. came ashore to stroll the perfect white sand beach and snorkel in the crystal clear waters.

Pink Floyd fans might be disappointed to learn China beat the U.S. to the "dark side" of the moon ... which, funny enough, is pretty damn bright.

China's national space program released photos Thursday after its spacecraft, Chang'e 4 lunar probe, landed on the far side of the moon for the first time in human history ... and, at first glimpse, there wasn't a whole lot of darkness back there. Quite the contrary.

In the closeup shot above, you can see the cratered surfaced is well lit, and looks a lot like the front side that Earth often sees from down below. Gasp!!!

This black and white shot was taken just as the probe successfully landed. It too appears to be luminous -- which makes sense. The sun's light obviously shines through back there.

China's mission is a big deal, as it's the first country in world history to get a spacecraft back there ... beating both the U.S. and Russia to the punch.

Diddy might want to ask for a refund from his former trainer ... because sources claim the guy he hired to keep Cassie in shape was banging her on his dime ... but she says his timeline is wrong.

Here's what we're told. Diddy's trainer, Jamal Liggin, got so busy he hired several trainers as backup, including Alex Fine. Diddy tagged Alex to train Cassie over the last year.

As we reported, Diddy and Cassie broke up several months ago after a decade-long relationship, but our sources claim Cassie and Alex hooked up before the split. We're told what especially galls Diddy ... he paid Alex to train his then-girlfriend and feels betrayed.

Cassie sure seems smitten with Alex. She has not ever publicly talked about a timeline, but we're told Diddy is convinced there's an overlap.

Sources connected to Alex and Cassie insist the two did NOT start dating until after she broke up with Diddy.

Diddy has bigger issues to deal with, like raising his 3 children after the death of Kim Porter in November. Diddy was destroyed when Kim died, saying they were more than soulmates.

Sandra Bullock's latest hit movie is racking up record-setting Netflix views, sparking tons of memes ... and also turning a small California suburb into a tourist attraction.

Small spoiler alert ... there's a house in "Bird Box" where the film's stars take refuge from an evil force. The exterior shots of the property -- including the stone stairway entrance -- were not shot on a studio back lot, but at a real home in Monrovia ... about 20 miles Northeast of L.A.

The owner tells TMZ ... a handful of visitors have been showing up to take photos at the house every day -- including Christmas Day -- since the movie was released on December 13.

We're told everyone who's stopped by to snap a pic of the "Bird Box" house has been very polite, and some have even knocked on the door to ask for permission.

The owner says she got $12k for the exterior shots -- and despite her house's central role in the movie ... she has no plans to watch "Bird Box." She doesn't have Netflix.

The Hollywood thing's kinda old hat for her because she says her home's been featured in at least 3 other films in the past 20 years, although she couldn't remember specific titles.

R. Kelly's had enough ... he's threatening to sue Lifetime if it doesn't pull the plug on airing its documentary that paints the singer as a sex-crazed and abusive cult leader.

Kelly's lawyer, Brian Nix, fired off a legal letter -- obtained by TMZ -- warning the network that its "Surviving R. Kelly" documentary is packed with lies. Nix threatens to file a federal lawsuit Thursday -- the same day Lifetime's set to air the special -- if the network doesn't relent.

As you know ... the family of one of Kelly's alleged brainwashed sex slaves has gone public in seeking her return. The alleged victim, Joycelyn Savage, refuted her own family and said she's no hostage. She was seen out in Bev Hills last May... without Kelly in tow.

Lifetime's 6-part documentary will feature, for the first time ever, people from Kelly's inner circle coming forward with new allegations that Kelly has sexually, mentally and physically abused women.

Jon Jones is one step closer to his next fight ... because Anthony Smith tells TMZ Sports his manager is already talking with the UFC to get a deal done.

30-year-old Smith has clawed his way to becoming the #3 ranked light heavyweight after taking out Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua and Volkan Oezdemir in his last 3 fights.

After Jones beat up Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 on Saturday, he and Smith talked trash to each other during the post-fight show on FS1.

Now, Smith says he ain't just blowing smoke -- he wants smoke -- and his manager, Jim Walter, is already speaking with the UFC honchos to hammer out a deal.

No word on when the fight would go down but Smith says he'll brawl with Jones "any time, any place anywhere ... I'll fight Jon this weekend if he wants to."

Smith says he respects Jones as a fighter but wasn't super impressed with his 3rd-round victory over Gustafsson -- saying, "I've seen him look better."

Of course, there are other fighters angling for a shot at JJ -- including #6 ranked contender Corey Anderson ... but Smith says no one wants to see that fight because Jones will beat his ass.

We asked Smith if he had a message for Jones -- "I'm ready. I'm ready and you know it. And I know it. I'm the only one that's gonna push you."