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Legendary college football coach Mike Leach -- who's spent the last three seasons running Mississippi State's sidelines -- has been hospitalized ... and he's now reportedly fighting for his life.

MSU officials said in a statement Sunday afternoon that Leach suffered a "personal health issue at his home" that required him to be rushed to a hospital in Jackson, Miss.

The school provided no further details on his status ... though Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger reported Sunday night that the 61-year-old is in "critical" condition.

Bulldogs reporter Robbie Faulk added that Leach "needs a miracle."

The college football world was rocked by the news ... with many of the top names in the sport tweeting prayers for the man credited with creating the "Air Raid" offense.

USC coach Lincoln Riley tweeted, "Prayers for my good friend Mike Leach. Please keep Coach and his family in your prayers." Univ. of Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen added, "While I am devastated by today’s news, I know Mike is a fighter with an incredible spirit and I know he will continue to battle. Prayers to Sharon and their extended family."

MSU said preparation for its bowl game on Jan. 2 against Illinois will still go on ... with defensive coordinator Zach Arnett taking over head coaching duties from Leach.

NASA likes playing games ... scientists stashed some "Easter eggs" during its just-completed Artemis I moon mission -- embedded secret messages in the spacecraft with meanings behind them.

As it turns out, the agency's Orion capsule -- which was successfully shot around the moon over the past 25 days or so, unmanned -- was plastered with 5 different symbols meant to serve as brain teasers for the general public ... and perhaps alien life too?

These images amounted to either drawn pictures, codes and even music -- which were scattered inside the capsule ... albeit, somewhat discreetly.

First off, NASA stuck a rendering of a red cardinal above the pilot seat's window ... meant to honor former Orion program manager Mark Geyer, who died in 2021 and who loved the St. Louis baseball team. There was also a Morse code depiction inside, spelling out Charlie and representing another ex-Orion program manager, Charlie Lundquist, who died in 2020.

There were also country codes found in Orion -- a nod to the nations that came together to help build it ... including the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Norway, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Another hidden nugget ... the letters "CBAGF," which are said to be the notes to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon."

Finally, there's some binary code in there too -- shown in black and white blocks -- which translates to the number 18 ... signifying the next Apollo mission that they're hoping to pull off after Apollo 17. Remember, the whole point of this thing is to get astronauts back to the moon by 2025 -- and with Artemis now done, we're one step closer to doing that.

You'd need to know some deep NASA trivia to nail those hidden clues, but there ya go.

King Charles is spreading Christmas cheer for the first time as the UK monarch ... but it comes at the exact moment Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are taking some fresh shots at the royal family.

KC3'S festive, but simple card features a pic of himself and Queen Consort Camilla, wishing recipients "A very Happy Christmas and New Year."

The photo of the King and his wife was taken in Scotland ... just 5 days before Queen Elizabeth II died.

Far less holiday cheerful is the new trailer Charles' youngest son dropped to hype volume 2 of "Harry & Meghan" on Netflix ... which feature's the couple diggin' even deeper into Harry's bloodline.

Looks like they're focusing on the Duke and Duchess fleeing the UK for America ... and they're calling out the royals for "institutional gaslighting." As Harry puts it, "They were happy to lie to protect my brother, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us."

Chad Atkins, the cofounder of Paw Works -- one of L.A.'s leading animal rescue organizations -- has died.

The organization announced the shocking news Sunday about its leader, calling him "a truly incredible person who devoted his entire existence to saving animals."

Paw Works says Chad "passed unexpectedly from heart failure" while at home. Further proving his dedication to animals, he had recently planned to open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.

Paw Works is continuing to honor Chad by opening up the clinic as he wished ... and it's asking for donations to help continue his life's work. All the folks who worked with Chad say they can hear him saying, “It’s time, let’s get back to our mission.”

In the span of Chad's animal rescue career, the org says "he managed to save many humans with his compassion, sassy wit, smile and unconditional devotion."

TMZ has had the honor of working closely with Chad and Paw Works each year leading up to the Puppy Bowl to help promote animal adoption.

Chad is survived by his son, Sebastian, and his husband, Bryan Diaz. He was 44.

Another tragedy has struck the 2022 FIFA World Cup ... Qatari photographer Khalid al-Misslam suddenly passed away while covering the famous soccer event on Saturday.

A local Qatari outlet reports al-Misslam -- who worked for Al Kass TV -- collapsed during the Saturday games and died later in the local hospital.

The cause of his death is unknown at this time.

"Al-Misslam, a Qatari, died suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," the Gulf Times said.

"We believe in Allah's mercy and forgiveness for him and send our deepest condolences to his family."

Of course, al-Misslam's death is chilling ... because he's not the only person who has died. A popular American soccer journalist passed away over the weekend at the World Cup.

CBS Sports' Grant Wahl also collapsed ... while working the Netherlands-Argentina match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday. He passed away after being transported to the hospital by Uber.

The 49-year-old was battling bronchitis but CBS News reports the death to be a heart attack.

But, Grant's brother, Eric, believes there was foul play. He says Grant was receiving death threats after wearing a shirt in Qatar supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Wahl had also been critical of the Qatari government.

Wahl's untimely death has devastated a lot of people ... including LeBron James who said Grant, who wrote his first Sports Illustrated cover story, was "always pretty cool to be around."

Helena Christensen is showing the world how to really weather a storm -- frolicking in freezing water, but instead of a wetsuit, she's doing her supermodel thing in a swimsuit!!!

The Danish model posted a bunch of photos and videos this weekend, wearing an all-white suit, while at home in Denmark. In the video, she takes a dip in sub-zero temps. At one point, her pal even joins in on the fun.

She clearly wasn't fazed at all by the weather. Under the post, she wrote, "Perfect day for a river swim ⛄️👙", as she got fully into the water -- shoulders and all.

The Danish are just built different.

In another post, she let fans know just how cold it was ... sharing a pic of the thermometer, just to make it official it was FREEZING. And, of course, some folks ate it up in the comments.

One user wrote, "You are the one and only ice queen! 🧊 ❄️! Inspired!" ... while another one cosigned " Your[e] crazy and I am jealous ❤️❤️❤️❤️".

As you may know, Helena has one kid, 23-year-old son Mingus Reedus, whom she had with 'Walking Dead' star Norman Reedus.

Chevy Chase is creeping up on his 80th birthday, but as busy as ever -- that's not necessarily weird for a comedy legend ... but the odd part is he's promoting 'Christmas Vacation' like it just debuted!!!

Darren Prince of Prince Marketing Group tells TMZ ... the holidays really are the most wonderful time of the year for Chevy -- he just wrapped 2 sold-out Q&A screenings of the National Lampoon classic at Foxwoods Resort Casino in CT, and he has a 2-day Comic-Con appearance in Pittsburgh this weekend.

What's more, the actor's got another 'Christmas Vacation' screening booked in Atlantic City next weekend, followed by another in Michigan. Yeah, the guy's gonna need a real vacay come Christmas Day.

We're told his team refers to December as Chevy's Super Bowl month, no doubt because of the massive popularity surrounding the movie 30 years after its release.

Darren says he's seen a resurgence of fans in recent years, making it clear a whole new generation is being introduced to the film.

Patrick Ganino, who runs Chevy's social media and travels with him, tells us Chevy really enjoys all the stories he gets to hear ... and it's now clear to him how the movie helps a lot of people through tough times, especially around the holidays.

As we reported, Chevy teamed up with Raising Cane's at the end of November ... channeling his inner Clark Griswold by lighting up an impressive Christmas display out front of a Chicago location.

Teddy Riley and his Guy bandmates are getting back together for a classic R&B reunion that will take them on the road for what's shaping up to be one of 2023's biggest tours.

We're told it will be a full group reunion for Guy, with Teddy Riley, Aaron and Damion Hall all in, and they're relinking with New Edition is especially epic -- the 2 groups haven't toured together since 2016.

Guy was one of the hottest acts in the early '90s, selling millions of records, but more importantly, helping pioneer the "New Jack Swing" era that later set up hip hop culture to dominate down the line.

As if those 2 acts wouldn't be a big enough draw ... we're told R&B legends Keith Sweat and Tank will also be in the mix, cementing an era of R&B millions hold dear to their hearts. 💘

TMZ Hip Hop recently spoke to Bobby Brown at LAX ... where he initially popped the lid on the tour, and told us why he and the rest of NE's bond will forever be strong.

We're told New Edition will be performing a host of new songs they didn't do on their last tour -- which previously ranked as one of Pollstar Awards Top 10 U.S. tours.

Kanye West apparently finds the idea of Meek Mill being a high-ranking celebrity that's to be taken seriously laughable -- to which Meek says ... hey, at least I still have my wits about me.

The Philly rapper responded to a Clubhouse chat that Ye participated in this weekend -- during which, he mentioned Meek being part of a group of stars whom Kanye suggested were being rallied to reign him in amid his ongoing media appearances.

Ye -- apparently referencing someone else's plan to confront Ye in what sounds like an intervention setting -- name-dropped Diddy and Dave Chappelle ... and then Meek, which made KW laugh out loud and uncontrollably for several seconds.

He added, "What made somebody think Meek Mill could say something to me?" Somebody else on the CH tried defending Meek, saying he's a gangster -- but Ye wasn't buying it.

Welp, MM himself caught wind of the shade ... and he fired back with pretty spicy comments of his own. He took to Twitter Sunday and wrote, "Never lost my mind for fame or money … I still have my family …my people respect me … I’m freeing people from prison… I’m doing community service all month with children up close and personal."

Meek adds, "I’m chilling wit my son and his friends today.. y’all on clubhouse at 50 lol."

Meek and Kanye have been on fairly good terms in the past, having attended the same events and posing in the same shots even. MM has even gone so far as to say recently that he used to find Kanye to be a huge source of inspiration early in his career. Used to ...

Canadian actor and singer Drew Seeley was 25 years old when he was cast as Joey Parker -- the famous singer who is searching for his Cinderella -- in the romance/musical film "Another Cinderella Story" back in 2008.

Seeley shared the big screen with Selena Gomez as the quiet high school senior who is hoping to become a professional dancer, Mary Santiago, Jane Lynch as the one-hit wonderer and Mary's evil stepmother, Dominique Blatt and Marcus T. Paulk as Joey's bestie, Dustin.

Drew also was also the voice-over for Zac Efron's singing parts in Disney's "High School Musical" back in 2006.

Bam Margera has made a full recovery, it seems, because the guy is out of the hospital and on his own two feet again ... TMZ has confirmed.

The 'Jackass' star posted a photo Saturday that showed him posing with a buddy, adding a caption that read ... "I’m out! Thank you to my friends, family and you for the love, support and prayers." A day earlier, his team posted an update on his condition.

They wrote, "Fortunately, he is now testing negative for COVID and receiving care for pneumonia. Bam is on the road to recovery and thankfully will be discharged soon."

It sounds like he's out of the woods now, but for a while there ... his condition sounded fairly serious and potentially dire, as he was put on a ventilator by doctors out of an abundance of caution.

As we reported ... BM was treated at a San Diego hospital after contracting pneumonia, which was compounded by the fact that he caught 'rona right around the same time -- a terrible combination. He was in the ICU, but we were told he was in stable condition.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reportedly said if the mobilization of the Jan. 6 insurrection was in her hands, she would've made sure it was mission accomplished for Donald Trump.

The Georgia lawmaker made the shocking statement Saturday night during the New York Young Republican Club gala -- where she, Donald Trump Jr. and other prominent members of the GOP were in attendance to preach their policy positions as part of the new Congress.

Per the New York Post ... Greene, at one point said on Jan. 6, "I want to tell you something, if Steve Bannon and I had organized that, we would have won. Not to mention, we would’ve been armed." Bannon was in the audience, BTW -- it's unclear how the crowd reacted.

BTW, this moment of her speech wasn't caught on camera, and others were too ... and they also raised eyebrows, especially when she got to the topic of sex toys at big box stores.

She was talking about the state of the country, from her POV, and mentioned that you can buy butt plugs and dildos at Target and CVS these days -- which she considers an outrage. The audience didn't seem all that amused by her bringing it up ... and she apologized.

MTG did note, however, that with Republicans now controlling the House again ... she and her colleagues plan to attend to issues they consider important -- including the Hunter Biden laptop issue, President Biden's handling of certain matters these past 2 years and more.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are alleged to have filmed interviews for their Netflix doc at a home other than their own -- which, if true, we gotta say ... welcome to showbiz. 🤷🏽‍♂️

British outlets have asserted the couple actually filmed at a separate property when they did their sit-downs on camera -- claiming they shot at another mega-mansion in Montecito that's just up the road from them, and a bit more expensive than their own pad.

The house in question is 13,599 sq. feet, features 6 bedrooms and has all the bells and whistles of a luxury home there -- pool, spa, private gym, etc. From a bird's eye view, yeah ... it's pretty nice. It's also for sale at $33 mil -- they bought their place for around $15 mil.

The reason that's relevant ... it would appear this story being surfaced in the first place was meant to make the Sussexes look like they wanted to flash a more grand home than the one they currently own. That's the implication we're picking up on -- namely, that they wanted to deceive people into thinking they live nicer than they actually do. But, frankly ... that's BS.

Here's the reality ... productions such as these are often shot at a different location, because it isn't important -- it's literally just background scenery that's secondary to the subjects. It's SOP to do this, and if Meg and Harry did, in fact, do so here ... it's not a big deal at all.

It's also quite possible that maybe Meg and Harry wanted to protect their privacy, which we know they value. And if that's the case, totally reasonable as well to film elsewhere.

Another element here that backs the case they weren't out for clout ... their home is actually bigger (and arguably nicer) than the mansion they allegedly shot at. Just take a look at this aerial shot of where they currently live, and you can even take a peek inside if you want.

The grounds seem more expansive than the home above, and the specs are at a larger scale too ... their property is over 18,000 sq. ft. and has more bedrooms ... plus, more toys. Yes, it was purchased at a lower price than what the other mansion is going for now -- but who's to say they won't list this crib at around the same (assuming they're still moving, that is).

The point is this ... Harry and Meg (allegedly) using another home to film at is just about the biggest nothing burger to hit the grill in this saga. But the fact UK outlets are running with it anyway as a gotcha moment sorta speaks to what they've laid out in the series so far.

Mark Curry claims he was racially profiled at a hotel in Colorado -- and the video evidence he has certainly raises some questions about why he was approached at all.

The actor/comedian posted a video this weekend that shows him hanging out in the lobby of an establishment called The Mining Exchange (a Wyndham hotel) in downtown Colorado Springs -- where he was in town for a gig a comedy club nearby.

The clip starts with Mark sitting down and enjoying some coffee, but almost instantly ... we see there are two employees standing nearby and looking over him. MC says they accosted him out of nowhere and asked if he was a guest staying there (he was, obviously).

Mark starts to question why he, of all people, is being asked this ... and jumps to the conclusion that it's because he's Black. He accuses the employees of harassing him, and wonders out loud why other guests in the lobby aren't being asked the same thing.

The employees don't really have an answer for him, and they just awkwardly stand there while Mark continues to record. Eventually, he uses the bathroom in a tense environment and is asked for his ID by a front desk attendant. Later, he enters his room and vents.

Mark says you can't be Black in America without an interrogation at some point, and he's sick of it. He posted the hotel's phone number and encouraged folks to blow them up.

Kylie Jenner looked to have the remnants of a dead animal around her neck during a weekend trip to Aspen with Kendall Jenner ... the question being, is it real?

The two KarJenner sisters were in the ritzy Colorado ski town Saturday, where they hit the streets for a little retail therapy ... dressed up in their best winter getups, of course. Kendall was rocking an intricately-designed trench coat with matching leather gloves and boots.

Kylie, meanwhile, was wearing some sort of snowsuit with a headband and sunglasses. The piece of her ensemble that stood out, though ... a white scarf, which looks like real fur.

She was definitely flaunting it as part of her outfit, and ya gotta imagine if any animal activists were around -- they might've thrown a fit. Luckily, that wasn't the case ... it was just a bunch of fans nearby who saw Kylie and Kendall and wanted photos, which they obliged.

Kylie's been in these people's crosshairs before -- getting yelled at here in L.A. and bombarded with bullhorn chants. She's never directly addressed the fur controversies as far as we've seen ... so maybe she's sticking to her guns and wearing what she likes.

The man accused of manufacturing the bomb that killed 270 Christmas week travelers on Pan Am flight 103 is finally in U.S. custody ... according to the Dept. of Justice.

It's unclear how exactly the feds captured the suspect, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, but he's scheduled to be in a federal court Monday to face charges.

Two years ago, then-Attorney General Bill Barr announced they were charging Mas'ud, and they've been hunting him down ever since.

He's accused of making the bomb that ripped through the Pan Am 747 on Dec. 21, 1988. The flight from London to New York exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland shortly after takeoff. All 259 people on board -- many of whom were flying home for Christmas -- were killed, along with 11 more on the ground.

In court docs, the feds call Mas'ud an expert bombmaker who started working in a Libyan intelligence group way back in the 70s.