Maggie Smith Dead at 89 ... 'Downton Abbey,' McGonagall From 'Potter' Movies

Maggie Smith -- a legendary actress who worked professionally for more than 70 years -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

TMZ spoke with Smith's agent ... who confirmed an earlier public statement from her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin. Smith passed away in the hospital peacefully early Friday morning. They did not give a cause of death.

Maggie played numerous iconic roles over the years ... most nbotably Professor Minerva McGonagall in the 'Harry Potter' film and Violet Crawley in the "Downton Abbey" series.

Cowboys Vs. Giants Fans Get In Violent Fistfight In MetLife Stadium Stands

The Cowboys won the fight on the field and one of the bigger ones off of it as well on Thursday night ... as a Dallas supporter absolutely pummeled a Giants fan in a tiff at MetLife Stadium during the big game in New Jersey.

The chaos erupted early in the evening ... when a man in a Troy Aikman jersey got so upset with a Lawrence Taylor supporter -- he began beating the hell out of the guy.

Check out footage filmed by a bystander ... the Cowboys fan pulled the dude's Giants jersey over his head, and then unleashed a flurry of right hands.

Lana Del Rey Ties The Knot ... With Alligator Tour Guide

Lana Del Rey has apparently gotten hitched to her alligator tour guide lover, Jeremy Dufrene, in Louisiana.

The couple seemingly exchanged vows during a ceremony Thursday at Airboat Tours by Arthur in Des Allemands, LA -- where Dufrene is employed -- according to photos obtained by the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, TMZ broke the story earlier Thursday ... Lana and Jeremy strolled inside the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court's office and picked up a marriage license just days before they purportedly tied the knot.

Diddy Feds Want To Take Down Successful Black Man

Racial Motivation
TMZ Studios

Diddy's case is yet another example of the federal government's hostility toward successful Black men ... at least according to his lawyer, who tells us race is a major factor here.

Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, appears in a new TMZ Studios documentary -- "The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment" -- which has just dropped on Tubi ... and he says the feds are targeting Diddy because of the color of his skin.

Agnifilo says the feds are just looking to take down Diddy because he's a successful Black man ... and when they couldn't nail him for anything related to taxes or his business empire, they started poking around in his bedroom.

Hurricane Helene 4 People Killed As Florida, Georgia, Other States Hit Hard

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Horrific Hurricane

Hurricane Helene clobbered the Southeast coast of the United States with heavy winds and pouring rain Thursday night, leaving at least 4 people dead.

The Category 4 storm — which weather experts say causes catastrophic damage — first hit northwestern Florida carrying with it 140-mile-per-hour gusts that impacted the area around the Aucilla River in the Big Bend region of the state's Gulf Coast.

Shocking footage showed rising tides battering the Florida coastline, damaged houses engulfed in seawater and Marine deputies in rescue boats patrolling flooded neighborhoods.

Pittsburgh Steelers Need To Formally Name Fields QB1 ... Ryan Clark Says

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HE'S EARNED IT
TMZSports.com

Ryan Clark no longer plays for Mike Tomlin, but if he did ... he's making it clear he'd tell the Steelers head coach he needs to officially name Justin Fields the starting quarterback ASAP.

The former Pittsburgh defensive back said in an interview with TMZ Sports this week he believes a formal announcement would help his ex-team immensely going forward.

Of course, Tomlin has yet to do it ... as he still appears to be debating on whether or not the team should stick with Fields, or flip to Russell Wilson whenever the former Super Bowl champion is 100 percent healthy.

Guess Who This Funny Girly Turned Into!

Before this cutie pie in her batter's helmet was hitting home runs as an actress, comedian and producer ... she was named after her four siblings who all grew up in Philadelphia, and she was just absolutely obsessed with comedy!

She's paved the way for content creators and comedians dating back to 2014 when she gathered a following on social media and went viral from her "Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date" series.

Still not sure who this could be? She's commonly known for playing the comedic 2nd grade teacher on the hit show "Abbott Elementary."

Can you guess who she is? 

Madonna Stepmom Dead at 81

Madonna's family is in mourning ... because her stepmother has died.

The "Like a Virgin" singer's stepmom, Joan Ciccone, died Tuesday after a battle with a very aggressive cancer ... according to her obituary.

Joan was Madonna's housekeeper growing up in Michigan ... and a couple years after Madonna's mother died at age 30 -- also from cancer -- Joan married Madonna's father, Silvio Ciccone.

James Corden I Tried Ozempic, But It Didn't Work ... Hunger Isn't Why I Eat!!!

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NOZEMPIC
This Life of Mine with James Corden

James Corden says he tried to lose weight using Ozempic, but the miracle drug didn't do much for him ... unlike lots of folks in Hollywood who are using it.

The former late-night talk show host opened up about his experience with Ozempic on his podcast, 'This Life of Mine.'

James says he tried Ozempic for a bit but it didn't help him lose weight, though it did lead to a sort of epiphany. He says it made him realize nothing about his eating habits have to do with being hungry.

Blac Chyna Ex-Boyfriend Sues ... Rob Was Right, You're Abusive!!!

Blac Chyna unleashed a violent ambush on an ex-boyfriend while he was sleeping in their home, leaving his face a swollen and bloody mess ... at least according to a new lawsuit, which also references Rob Kardashian's previous claims against her.

The reality TV star is being sued by her ex, Twin Hector, who claims she would often physically abuse him during their nearly 3 year relationship, when they were living together in Los Angeles.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Twin claims Chyna's abuse reached its peak in September 2021, when she violently attacked him while he was sleeping in their bed.

Diddy Look Back at Wild Party ... Yes, That's a Naked Woman Buffet!!!

It’s no surprise Diddy’s legendary parties attracted a star-studded crowd -- and now, a fresh batch of photos from 2 decades ago has surfaced, showing just how wild his shindigs used to get.

Big names like Will Smith, Diana Ross and Owen Wilson hit up Diddy’s Miami bash, co-hosted by MAC, Hennessy, and Microsoft back in 2004 -- and as you can see, things were far from PG -- with a nude woman serving as the centerpiece of a food platter.

Despite the racy setup, the guests appear unfazed -- casually snacking around the naked lady.

TMZ TV HOT TAKES DIDDY TO TESTIFY ... Hoda Kotb, Shohei Ohtani

Diddy is planning to take the witness stand, Hoda Kotb is saying goodbye and Shohei Ohtani's record home run ball is going to auction ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

TMZ Live

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READY TO TAKE THE STAND
TMZ.com

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles explain why Diddy is chomping at the bit to testify in his criminal case.

Young Dolph Justin Johnson Guilty of Murder... Sentenced To Life!!!

Memphis jurors took several hours to reach a verdict Thursday, ultimately delivering a guilty verdict to Justin Johnson ... one of the men prosecutors claim murdered Young Dolph back in 2021.

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The Verdict

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts to the charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm -- and Judge Jennifer Mitchell immediately threw the book at him with a life sentence!!!

Closing arguments were delivered Wednesday. Johnson never took the stand but Cornelius Smith testified during the trial Yo Gotti's slain brother Big Jook and suspect Hernandez Govan orchestrated for them to kill any Paper Route Empire rappers they could find.

Rihanna No Umbrella Needed ... Brings Sunshine w/ Bright Yellow Lingerie

Rihanna's looking absolutely savage in her new photoshoot ... rocking a bright yellow lingerie Savage X Fenty set.

Savage X Fenty dropped the RiRi pics just hours ago ... capturing the star in all her scantily clad glory -- no back to the bottoms and limited coverage up top too.

Her ensemble -- complete with thigh-high stockings and elbow-length gloves -- features a lace floral pattern running all over the 'fit.

Gleb Savchenko, Brooks Nader Flirtatious Post-Kiss Chemistry ... Leaves Everyone Blushing!!!

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EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED!!!
TMZ.com

Brooks Nader's had quite the effect on her 'DWTS' partner Gleb Savchenko ... 'cause he's doing a full 180 on their chemistry after that viral video of them locking lips hit the internet.

We caught up with the pair Thursday ... and grilled Gleb on what changed after he initially shot down the romance rumors before their viral smooch. His response? Let’s just say it had everyone, including Brooks, blushing.

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BACKSTAGE SMOOCH
TikTok / @ashleysdiary7

They still didn’t outright confirm whether or not they're dating -- but when we mentioned they’d make a cute couple and asked Brooks if Gleb’s a good kisser, their reactions were very telling. Watch the video and decide for yourself.

'Happy Gilmore' Gator Nemesis ... Open To Role In Sequel!!!

If there's a scene in the new "Happy Gilmore" script that requires a gator to snap at a golfer's arm ... the handler for the reptile that played the part in the OG flick tells TMZ Sports it's down to reprise the role.

The alligator -- nicknamed "Morris" -- has been enjoying the sweet life at the Colorado Gators Reptile Park in Mosca ever since it gained fame for stealing Adam Sandler's golf ball in the 1996 "Happy Gilmore" movie ... but its owner, Jay Young, says it's willing to come out of retirement for the highly anticipated sequel.

Young, though, says Sandler and Co. would have to jump through some hoops to make it all work out ... as the 70ish-year-old, 500-pound beast simply can't be transported these days.