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Audrey Wells -- the writer of "Under the Tuscan Sun," "A Dog's Purpose" and the just-released film "The Hate U Give" -- has died ... according to her reps.

Wells died Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Her husband, Brian, released a statement saying, "Over the last five and half years, Audrey fought valiantly against her illness and she died surrounded by love. Even during her fight, she never stopped living, working or traveling, and she never lost her joy, wonder and optimism."

She's survived by her husband and her daughter Tatiana.

Audrey's career as a writer in Hollywood began in 1996, when she penned "The Truth About Cats & Dogs." She went on to write the screenplay for "George of the Jungle" the following year, before writing and directing "Guinevere" in 1999.

She was also the director of 'Tuscan Sun.'

Her latest movie, "The Hate You Give," is a drama tackling racial tension and police violence in America. It opened Friday in limited release.

Audrey was 58.

Ryan Lochte is now acknowledging that he has a "serious" alcohol problem after a booze-fueled incident at a Southern California hotel and he'll be seeking treatment, TMZ Sports has learned.

We've confirmed ... Lochte was involved in an incident at a hotel in Newport Beach on Thursday morning in which he drunkenly tried to kick in his own hotel room door around 3 AM.

Hotel security responded to the scene and cops were called. No arrests were made and Lochte smoothed things over with the hotel in regards to the damaged door.

But, now we've learned ... Lochte is realizing he's been battling an "alcohol addiction" and needs to address it before the problem gets worse.

"Ryan has been battling alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately it has become a destructive pattern for him," Lochte's lawyer, Jeff Ostrow tells us.

"He has acknowledged that he needs professional assistance to overcome his problem and will be getting help immediately. "

"Ryan knows that conquering this disease now is a must for him to avoid making future poor decisions, to be the best husband and father he can be, and if he wants to achieve his goal to return to dominance in the pool in his 5th Olympics in Tokyo in 2020."

This incident is not the first time Lochte has gotten into trouble after a night of boozing -- he was arrested in Brazil back 2016 after a drunken incident at a local gas station.

The mother of Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White was arrested for domestic violence last week after officials say she stabbed a man in the chest ... TMZ Sports has learned.

44-year-old LaShawnita Ruffins -- who famously walked the red carpet with her son at the 2017 NFL Draft -- was arrested on Sept. 29 in Northern Louisiana for aggravated battery and domestic violence.

Unclear if the alleged victim is Tre'Davious' father. We're working on the details.

Law enforcement tells us ... Ruffins' bail was set at $75,000. She posted it and was released the next day.

Tre'Davious White was a 1st-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in college football during his time at LSU.

He had a pretty great rookie season for the Bills -- making the Pro Football Writers Association 2017 All-Rookie Team.

Kanye West is so serious about making a difference in his hometown, he's already giving away money and designer shoes to people in need.

Kanye had just endured a trip to his dentist in Chicago Friday ... when a homeless man approached him. Ye decided to make the guy's day with a crisp Ben Franklin and a promise to send him a free pair of Yeezys.

If you're wondering where he's gonna send the shoes -- the man gave Ye his mom's contact info.

Kanye made big news in the Windy City when he announced he's moving back with big plans to help heal the community.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have officially signed their divorce papers ... but the split isn't final yet.

Ben and Jen met Garner's home Thursday for several hours to hammer out the remaining details in their divorce. After reaching a final agreement ... both signed on the dotted line to officially end things.

In order for the divorce to be finalized and make the pair legally single, they'll still need approval to use a private judge who will then need to submit the docs to the court for the papers to get stamped. We're told that will happen by the end of this year.

As we first reported ... Ben and Jen's final settlement was to be agreed on once Ben got out of rehab. With him now out of rehab, that plan was set into motion.

TMZ broke the story ... Ben's drinking was a sticking point in the settlement. Before rehab, Ben had fallen off the wagon for 18 months. It was an issue because when Ben isn't sober ... it puts Ben and Jen's 3 kids at risk when he's with them.

We broke the story ... Jen filed for divorce back in April 2017 and it was as amicable as it can get. They reached a property settlement, which was complicated and time-consuming because of the fortune that needed to be divided. They did NOT have a prenup, so all of their earnings during their 12-year marriage went into one pot.

As for custody ... Ben and Jen agreed to joint custody, though the settlement does not say how much custodial time Ben and Jen each get. They've gotten along great coparenting the kids ... and felt shifting custody based on their work schedules rather than abide by a rigid formula served them better.

Every so often a man finds himself at a crossroads, where the choice he makes will forever alter the course of his life. Or, in Matt Damon's case -- he has 2 awesome choices and really can't lose.

Here's the deal -- Damon's a huge UFC fan and, on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Conor McGregor will take on Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight championship at UFC 229. It's a highly-anticipated fight and will be a huge draw, and Matt's got a seat Octagon-side for the action.

But as we all know ... Damon also KILLED as Brett Kavanaugh on last weekend's "Saturday Night Live." Almost everyone wants and expects Matt to play the role again this weekend ... especially with the full Senate vote on Kavanaugh expected on Saturday.

Apologies to Lorne Michaels ... but sources close to Damon tell us he's decided to go to Vegas for the fight.

We're told the lure of McGregor's return to UFC outweighed a reprise as Kavanaugh.

Nicki Minaj wore fancy threads provided by her fashion stylist, but never returned them to the guy, so now he's been hit with a huge bill ... according to a new suit.

Maher Jridi claims he was Nicki's stylist in 2017 and rented a bunch of clothing from a wardrobe company for her to wear. He says he dropped thousands on the clothes, Nicki wore them ... but then he never got them back.

According to the docs ... Jridi got sued for the missing gear and is now on the hook for nearly $74k. So, he's suing her for the bill ... and says the whole ordeal has been emotionally painful for him.

Maher, who's French, is known for being the man behind Nicki's famous wardrobe during 2017's Paris Fashion Week.

6:41 PM PT -- The Sitch responded to his sentencing on social media, saying ... "We are very happy to put this behind us. Thank you So much for all the Love & Support."

10:43 AM PT -- Situation was sentenced to 8 months behind bars and two years of supervised release. His attorney, Henry Klingeman, tells TMZ, "Mike accepts the Court's judgment. He is looking forward to marrying his college sweetheart, Lauren Pesce, next month and moving forward together after he serves his sentence."

Mike looked relaxed on his way out of court, holding Lauren's hand and flashing a peace sign to the group gathered outside.

9:45 AM PT -- Situation's brother, Marc -- who was also indicted at the same time on tax fraud charges -- has just been sentenced to 2 years and a $75k fine.

It's D-Day for Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino -- who just arrived at federal court in Newark, NJ to find out if he's going to prison for evading his taxes -- and he's got the whole 'Jersey Shore' crew with him.

The 'Jersey Shore' star is set to be sentenced Friday for tax evasion. As we reported, Sitch pled guilty way back in January. He could be looking at a max of 5 years in prison, but even prosecutors have been pushing for the judge to go easy on him.

Pauly D, Ronnie, JWoww, Vinnie, Snooki and Deena were all at the courthouse bright and early to show some love to their friend.

Since entering his plea, Mike got the court's approval to travel to Florida and Nevada to shoot the 'Jersey Shore' reunion.

Mike's sentencing was originally scheduled for April 25, but his lawyer was able to buy him more time while resubmitting docs as part of his plea deal.

His sentence should be handed down shortly. Stay tuned ...

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Everson Griffen moments after he jumped out of an ambulance on his way to a mental health evaluation ... and you can hear cops talking football to Griffen in an effort to calm him down.

It all went down on Sept. 22 after cops had been called on the Minnesota Vikings star following a string of bizarre and troubling behavior in the Minnesota area.

As we previously reported, Griffen allegedly threatened to shoot somebody at a hotel, wandered into a teammate's yard and forced a stranger to drive him around town against his will.

Cops ultimately got Griffen to agree to take an ambulance to a nearby hospital to be evaluated -- but he jumped out during the ride fearing someone was trying to harm him.

When cops approach Griffen, you can hear him saying, "I jumped out because I was scared for my life."

Griffen then explains that someone in the ambulance was "digging in his pocket pulling out something. He was digging in his pocket pulling out something and I called him. They had gloves on there’s something in here and they tried to get me. I’m not crazy."

Griffen mentioned that he plays for the Vikings -- and cops began talking football with him. That's when everything starts to cool down.

Ultimately, cops got Griffen to agree to get back in the ambulance and they took him to the hospital without further incident.

Kim Kardashian's nearly gone bust ... but she's hanging by a thread.

Kim posted this picture and captioned it "Chanel vintage, lets please be specific." Not really sure what that means, but who the hell cares. The pic no doubt accentuates Kim's assets ... front and center. Talk about wearing the hell outta a sKIMpy bikini. #SorryNotSorry

It's no nip slip but still a win-win ... you head into the weekend with another trademark Kim K reveal.

"The Bachelor" contestant Cristy Caserta -- who was only 38 -- died unexpectedly Thursday after suffering an apparent seizure ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Caserta was attending a class at a school in Sunrise, FL when she suddenly fell forward at the desk where she was sitting. Her alarmed classmates immediately called 911.

We're told Cristy went into cardiac arrest as emergency responders arrived and administered CPR. She was transported to nearby Westside Regional Medical Center where they continued efforts to save her, but she was pronounced dead.

Cops say they do not suspect foul play and no drugs were found on Caserta -- it appears she died as a result of the sudden seizure. An autopsy will be performed Friday to determine the official cause of death.

Cristy appeared on Season 15 of "The Bachelor" ... the one fans know as Brad Womack's second shot at finding love. She was sent home the first week.

Cardi B's night went from 0 to 100 when she discovered Offset surprised her with a brand new Lamborghini ... and the story behind it is worth more to them than the luxury ride's price tag.

Cardi can't stop gushing over her husband's romantic and sneaky gesture ... revealing the great lengths Offset went to in order to pull off the surprise. You just gotta watch the video to hear her explain it ... as only she can.

Long (love) story short -- Offset duped Cardi into thinking he was having a health emergency, and then played it off for a few hours before coming clean with the brand new whip.

The Lambo Urus, which has a starting cost of $200,000, looks like the perfect family car for CB, Offset and Kulture.

Now, if only Cardi could drive ...

R.L. Stine had the living crap scared out of him -- and, although it didn't last long, we're thinking every parent can relate to his terrifying moment.

We got the "Goosebumps" author at Shop Studios for New York Comic Con Thursday and we straight-up asked him what scares him. Remember, this guy makes a living scaring kids with his insanely popular books. So, maybe it's only appropriate that a kid's responsible for the 30 scariest seconds of his life.

"Ray Donovan" actor Marion "Pooch" Hall's wild DUI arrest this week -- during which he was allegedly so wasted he let his 2-year-old steer his car -- immediately caught the attention of children's services ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services has opened an investigation into Hall's case. We broke the story ... Hall was arrested Wednesday night after cops say he was driving with a .25 blood alcohol level with his son on his lap and his son's hands on the wheel, and it ended when his car crashed into a parked vehicle.

Hall was arrested for DUI and felony child endangerment and the toddler was released to his mother.

As for what the investigation could entail ... we're told DCFS workers will want to interview the Hall family and run Hall's record to see if this alleged behavior is common, or just a one-time thing.

If it is an isolated incident, our sources say DCFS might be inclined to let the court handle any sort of punishment. It's further complicated by the fact there's no reason -- at least so far -- to remove the child from his mother's custody, and it appears Hall and the mother live together.

10/5 5:45 AM PT -- Bette deleted the tweet and apologized, saying, "The too brief investigation of allegations against Kavanaugh infuriated me. Angrily I tweeted w/o thinking my choice of words would be enraging to black women who doubly suffer, both by being women and by being black."

She finished by saying, "I am an ally and stand with you; always have. And I apologize."

Bette Midler chose to make a point about women in a very provocative way ... and people are PISSED about it.

Bette tweeted Thursday -- in the midst of protests in D.C. by women who strongly oppose the Supreme Court confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh -- "Women, are the n-word of the world."

She added to her point by saying women are ... "Raped, beaten, enslaved, married off, worked like dumb animals; denied education and inheritance; enduring the pain and danger of childbirth and life IN SILENCE for THOUSANDS of years."

Midler ends her tweet by saying women "are the most disrespected creatures on earth."

In 2 hours, her tweet has elicited almost 7 thousand replies, many of which are blasting her for minimizing racism while at the same time hurting the feminist movement.

Others are pissed that Midler, a rich white woman, is comparing the plight of women to the history of mistreatment of black people.

And, there are some just demanding she delete the tweet immediately. She hasn't ... yet

President Trump's got a serious White House conspiracy on his hands -- or, we should say his heel ... because someone let him out in public with freakin' toilet paper stuck to his shoe!

Ok, you can insert your own metaphor here -- but this s**t really happened Thursday night as the leader of the free world boarded Air Force One ... bound for his rally in Minnesota.

Sure, it's hysterical to watch ... over and over and over.