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A shot of Jimi Hendrix jamming on his guitar is popping up on all sorts of merchandise, but the guy who took the pic says Jimi's family ripped him off.

David Sygall says he did a photo shoot with Jimi back in the '60s during a rehearsal -- he captured the guitar god strumming his Fender axe, with eyes closed. Kinda the classic Hendrix pose, and it was even featured in Guitar World magazine in 2002.

Sygall says the mag licensed it from him, but Jimi's family did not. In a lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, he says Purple Haze Properties has slapped his photo on its website, social media, marijuana products, credit cards, Christmas tree ornaments and more.

According to docs, Jimi's bro, Leon Hendrix, and his biz partner run and own Purple Haze Properties and negotiated with Sygall for use of the photo. Sygall says they never struck a deal, but they're still using his pic -- just with an overlay of colors and psychedelic swirls.

Farrah Abraham's calling off the dogs in her $5 million lawsuit over a tongue lashing she says she got on "Teen Mom OG."

Farrah and Viacom, MTV's parent company, reached a settlement ... according to docs she filed Tuesday, requesting the lawsuit be dropped. She had sued because she claimed executive producer Morgan J. Freeman harassed and humiliated her over her porn career. She claimed he was so hostile during a meeting that she "feared for her life."

Farrah had high hopes for the case, telling us it would make the world a better place for women.

DMX needs rehab for substance abuse, not a long prison sentence in his tax evasion case, 'cause he's a sick person who's hit rock bottom ... so says former NBA star Jayson Williams.

TMZ broke the story ... DMX -- who's facing 5 years behind bars for failing to pay millions in taxes -- asked a federal judge to allow him to participate in a rehab program Williams operates ... instead of doing hard time.

FYI -- Rebound Institute is a faith-based addiction and wellness program located in Palm Beach County, FL.

We talked to the ex-hooper, who told us he contacted the rapper's people and "put together a plan where he's gonna come down here and work real hard and get himself together."

Williams says X failing to pony up to Uncle Sam was a product of substance abuse.

"He wasn't evading taxes on purpose. When you're in a self destruct mode," JW tells us, "You're not going, 'I'm gonna pay my taxes tomorrow.' You're going, 'Hey man, I'm not even going to live. My self-esteem is low. I gotta take myself outta here.'"

"That's where we're at right now. We're dealing with a sick individual."

Williams says the rapper has committed to attending his program. So, the only obstacle is the court and prosecutor signing off on the plan.

"You can always come back and put him in jail if he doesn't do the right thing."

Law enforcement at Coachella is bracing for the possibility of a Vegas-like massacre, and it's taking radical steps to make sure it thwarts any plot and protects concertgoers.

If, God forbid, something does happen, first responders will be ready with tourniquets and other medical equipment to prevent massive blood loss.

There will also be intensive surveillance, especially with drones that will blanket the festival grounds ... eyeing people and packages that look ominous. Although law enforcement tells TMZ there are no known threats, it is out of an abundance of caution.

Cops and security are taking training courses on identifying items that are out of place ... in particular they will learn the lay of the land -- where items such as trash cans are placed -- and if a new one suddenly appears, cops will take appropriate steps to immediately investigate.

There will also be tried-and-true forms of security, such as metal detectors and pat-downs. And the mantra of the festival is what has become the mantra everywhere ... "See something, say something."

Coachella takes place over the span of two weekends next month and features artists like The Weeknd, Beyonce, Eminem, Cardi B, Migos, SZA and Kygo.

It's true, Paris Hilton somehow temporarily lost her $2 million engagement ring at a rave -- but that's not the craziest part of this story ... her reaction to finding it was way better.

In case you hadn't heard ... Paris' super expensive, 20-carat bling flew off her finger this weekend while she and her fiance, Chris Zylka, were partying it up at EDM group Above & Beyond's concert in Miami. She says it was so heavy, it slipped right off her hand.

Chris and a mini search party -- including movie and music exec Mike Burns -- had to go searching for the rock, which Chris eventually found in a nearby ice bucket. This video shows what happened immediately after the clutch find ... including Paris' freak-out.

We'll say this ... Paris hooked herself a good one in Chris. She also seems to have some great pals who'll whip out the magnifying glasses at peak whomping hours.

Danielle Bregoli's a certified rap star. Deal with it.

Danielle -- aka Bhad Bhabie -- has earned gold status thanks to her hit single "Hi Bich" selling more than 500k copies. And she's got the hardware to prove it. It's incredibly impressive given it was just last September when she inked a deal with Atlantic Records, and not even two years since Dr. Phil inadvertently gifted her to the rest of the world.

And get this ... "Hi Bich" made Danielle the youngest female rapper in history to chart on the Billboard's Hot 100 ... sources tell us. Makes sense ... her music video alone has more than 84 million views.

And the 15-year-old's just getting started ... Danielle's latest collab with Lil Yachty's already getting lots of buzz. Just the kinda news ya wanna hear when you're about to go on tour.

Big Sean just shelled out a small fortune for a ring but he's not popping the question to longtime GF Jhene Aiko ... it was a birthday gift for himself.

Sean just turned the big 3-0 and he celebrated by treating himself to some bling from NYC-based Avianne & Co Jewelers, and it's gonna weigh heavy on his hand, for sure.

The centerpiece is a stunning 4-carat Colombian emerald that's surrounded by 15 carats worth of VS diamonds. The total cost is $120k, or basically ... a new G-Wagon on his finger.

We're told the ring was made in New York but it was delivered to Sean in L.A. before his birthday, which he celebrated over the weekend with Jay-Z, Beyonce, John Mayer and, of course, Jhene.

Zay Hilfigerrr found a new use for a fire extinguisher -- instead of using it to put out a blaze ... he fanned the flames of a feud with his roommate.

The "Juju On That Beat" rapper's seen on video -- obtained by TMZ -- arguing with his roomie off camera with extinguisher in hand ... then taking a few steps toward him and shooting a cloud of fire-squelching chemicals.

Later in the vid ... Zay's heard telling the story of what escalated the dust-up, claiming his roommate accused him of partying and putting a hole in the wall. Zay says his roomie also talked smack about his mom and friends.

The rapper tells us he didn't cause any damage, and was actually getting his stuff to move out when his roommate confronted him along with 3 other guys ... and Zay says everything he did -- including the blast from the fire extinguisher -- was in self-defense.

We broke the story ... cops responded to a 911 call by Hilfigerrr's roommate, who claimed he was being attacked by Zay at their North Hollywood home last week. Police restored the peace while the rapper got his stuff and left.

LiAngelo Ball's NBA career has it's first big-time supporter -- future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce, who says he thinks LiAngelo has "a good shot" to get drafted into the league.

Ball's agent just announced his intention to declare for this year's draft, and the questions began immediately ... would 1 year of playing ball in Lithuania be enough for 'Gelo to get his name called?

We got Pierce out in Calabasas and tossed the question at him, and he's saying there's MORE than a chance.

"I think he got a good shot man, you know. I hope all the Ball brothers make it to the league," Pierce told TMZ Sports.

Gelo's shot is probably a little better now, since he dropped 72 FREAKIN' POINTS on the day he announced he was declaring ... even though it was against a Chinese Basketball Association youth squad.

Caroline Sunshine -- best known for her role as Tinka Hessenheffer on the hit Disney show, "Shake It Up" -- is going to do her best to brighten up Trump's White House ... by working in his press office.

The 22-year-old actress is joining the team as a press assistant, after serving recently as a White House intern. Her role will most likely involve lending a hand to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, President Trump's WH Press Secretary.

According to a WH spokesperson, Caroline interned for the Office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the College Republican National Committee and the California Republican Party before making the move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Sunshine appeared on the Disney show from 2010 to 2013 alongside stars Zendaya and Bella Thorne, but has steered her career more toward politics in recent years.

Morgan Spurlock admitting to past sexual misconduct screwed over the media company he was working with, and there's also a bunch of money missing ... according to a new suit.

Turner Entertainment Network claims the "Super Size Me" filmmaker made a deal with them in March 2017 to produce a show called "Who Rules the World?" ... which aimed to "unpack the most divisive and complicated issues facing women today, from the policing of their bodies and judgments to their family planning choices."

Problem is -- Spurlock stepped down from the project in December 2017 after admitting to various forms of sexual misconduct and harassment. Turner claims because of Spurlock's actions, it was impossible to continue with the show.

According to the docs ... Turner's also pissed because Spurlock was in control of the production accounts, and is now refusing to come clean on what happened to the funds.

Turner's suing Spurlock for damages for costs related to the abandoned show, as well as a court order forcing him to fess up on where the cash went.

Bill Cosby's legal team doesn't want the jury to hear a phone call Andrea Constand made to her mom, and is asking a judge to bar it from his retrial ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs ... Cosby's lawyers claim his accuser's call in January 2005 -- in which she tells her mother she was drugged and molested about a year earlier -- is hearsay and shouldn't be allowed.

Both Constand and her mom, Gianna, testified about the call during Cosby's first trial ... which ended in a mistrial.

Stephen Belafonte has asked a judge to essentially order his daughter into therapy to deprogram her from Mel B's campaign of hate.

Belafonte says Mel B has poisoned 6-year-old Madison with lies about him, making outrageous statements to the child, including putting in her head that Stephen was abusive to her sister, Angel. Belafonte points to a letter purportedly written by Angel saying she was scared of him, but the letter uses adult language such as "witnessing physical abuse," and "attempting to fake sleep." He says Mel B wrote the letter.

He also says it's Mel B's M.O. to alienate children from their fathers. He says during their marriage, she had a consistent plan to alienate her oldest daughter, Phoenix, from her biological father.

Stephen also says Mel B made an outrageous claim that he gave Madison medicine that made her throw up. He says all he gave her was Children's Tylenol.

Stephen wants the judge to order Madison into therapy to shield her from the acrimony surrounding the divorce and presumably deprogram her from what he says are Mel B's lies.

Jeremy Meeks is now permanently tapped into on the Topshop fortune -- 'cause he knocked up his heiress gf, Chloe Green.

Sources connected to the couple confirm Chloe and the so-called "Hot Felon" are expecting their first kid, but it's unclear how far along she is. The couple first hooked up last June, and they've been inseparable since then. Their relationship created trouble for Jeremy ... who was still married at the time.

This will be Green's first child. Jeremy already has one with his estranged wife, Melissa. He recently struck a deal to pay her child support.

Jeremy and Chloe haven't confirmed an engagement yet, but she was recently spotted rocking a huge ring on THAT finger.

Us Weekly first reported the pregnancy -- which completes what might be the all time greatest come-up. In just 2 years, Jeremy's gone from a California State prison to walking fashion runways, dating Chloe ... and now starting a family with the billionairess.

It's in the bag!