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There's a new tribute to Betty White in town, but this one isn't just about honoring Betty ... it's about promoting the cause closest to her heart.

Corie Mattie is responsible for the new mural that's been installed on L.A.'s famed Melrose Ave. She says the piece took her roughly 15 hours to complete and includes the mission statement ... "Be More Like Betty."

Even cooler is the fact it's got a way for you to do just that.

Corie added a QR code on the mural which fans can scan to donate directly to wagmorpets ... an org supporting dog rescues. She tells us, Betty "loved animals so I thought it would be a good idea if people wanted to pose in front of it, this will go directly to [the] nonprofit."

The artist just figured the tribute was the perfect gift back to Betty ... who famously donated to and supported animal rescues for years. Corie's mural is right in line with a movement Betty's fans have started online with the #BettyWhiteChallenge.

The hashtag encourages people to donate to their local rescues and animal shelters.

As far as the mural itself... Mattie told us she felt Betty was the epitome of a "perfect human" who was way ahead of her time in promoting a more inclusive world. She says that's why she included the line, "Be More Like Betty."

Mark Wahlberg is a savvy businessman -- with his own line of gyms and burger joints -- but now he's taking on the tequila world with his sights set on some of the biz's celeb heavy-hitters.

A rep for Mark tells us he recently became a principal investor in Flecha Azul -- a company founded by Mexican PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and entrepreneur Aron Marquez -- who first reached out to the actor about the opportunity.

A source close to Mark says he traveled down to the distillery in Tequila, Jalisco, MX to check it out, liked what he saw, and wrote a "very big check" to join the company.

We're told it was important for Mark to be on location, and test the product so he could have "real skin in the game."

What's more ... our sources say Mark plans to reach out to George Clooney (Casamigos) and "The Rock" (Teremana) for a good ole fashioned tequila-off in the future to determine which celeb-backed brand reigns supreme.

Not only that, we're told Mark's burger chain, Wahlburgers, will exclusively sell Flecha Azul at its locations.

Of course, there's a whole slew of celebs now in the tequila booze biz -- including Kendall Jenner, Kevin Hart, Toby Keith, Justin Timberlake and Diddy.

Tragic news ... the Tampa Bay Rays announced Tuesday bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez died unexpectedly this week. He was just 28 years old.

No further details surrounding his passing were provided.

"He brought so much passion and energy each day to our clubhouse and bullpen, and his love for the Rays and baseball was evident to all who interacted with him," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

"Jean will be deeply missed."

Added former Rays superstar pitcher Blake Snell, who won a Cy Young in Tampa, "Man this one hurts."

Ramirez was picked by the Rays out of Illinois State Univ. in the 28th round of the 2016 MLB draft ... and he went on to play catcher in the team's minor league system for 3 seasons.

Ramirez then joined the big league club as its bullpen catcher in 2019 -- and had said his ultimate goal was to move up in the ranks and one day manage a roster in The Show.

"He exuded so much joy in all he did, and his kind heart was truly a gift to all," Rays' president of baseball operations Erik Neander said.

"As we process this unexpected and difficult loss, we are grateful for the times we shared with Jean."

Travis Scott's album cover from years ago is landing him in hot water in France ... where one artist is definitely not saying "c'est la vie" over what he claims is outright theft of his art.

A man named Mickaël Mehala -- who also goes by Black Childish -- is suing Travis in his home country, where he alleges the rapper jacked his original artwork for "Travis La Flame" ... an official compilation project which includes a lot of songs from his mixtape "Days Before Rodeo," among others.

The album cover is well known among TS stans ... and has even been featured on Travis' YouTube page and Tidal page at one point or another. That's a problem for Mehala, who claims he actually created this piece himself in 2015 and sent it to Trav via Instagram DM in 2016 -- the same year 'La Flame' dropped -- so he could see it and share it with fans.

Mehala says he never heard back from Travis, but lo and behold ... he saw his centaur art featured front and center when 'La Flame' rolled out, which was big news at the time.

In the French legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mehala claims he formally registered a copyright for the art in February 2019. He also says he was blowing up Travis and his management team about the issue, and finally heard back from one of his attorneys in the summer of 2019.

He claims the lawyer told him Travis was unaware of using art belonging to anyone in particular. While the lawsuit notes the centaur shot's since been removed from multiple platforms carrying 'La Flame' ... Mehala apparently still wants his day in court.

He also wants d'argent, or as Travis would say ... money, and lots of it. Mehala's suing for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sole control of his centaur going forward.

We've reached out to Travis' team, but no word back yet.

Britney Spears' ex, Jason Alexander's stalking victim claims she has a very good reason to fear him -- she told cops Alexander threatened to snap her neck.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the woman, who's identified as Lisa, claims Jason issued the threat last January ... saying he would break both her neck and that of her male friend.

In the docs, she says Jason approached that same guy friend in July and again threatened to snap his neck if he didn't stop texting Lisa.

It didn't end there ... Lisa filed another report in October claiming Jason came on her Tennessee property after being told he was not welcome. He allegedly admitted to following her home, claiming he was just making sure she got home safely.

According to the docs, Jason returned to Lisa's property in November and argued with her. This time she called cops, but he bounced before they arrived.

TMZ broke the story ... Jason was arrested Dec. 30 and charged with violation of a protective order and aggravated stalking. He pled guilty to misdemeanor stalking last week and is now on probation.

The protective order was issued Dec. 10 and it barred Jason from contacting Lisa -- but the new docs say he emailed her on Christmas, and also brought presents for her and her kid to the Franklin Police Department ... so cops could give them to her on his behalf.

That creepy Christmas gesture violated the protective order, and that's why he got dinged.

Jason's most famous for dating Britney back in 2004, and abruptly getting married in Las Vegas. That union lasted all of 55 hours before it was annulled.

WWE legend Bill Goldberg is reveling in the fact that Georgia won its first national title in 41 years ... telling TMZ Sports that he wasn't surprised at the outcome, but it still feels like a dream!!

We spoke with Bill -- who played defensive tackle at Georgia back in the late 1980s -- fresh off UGA's wild 33-18 win over Alabama ... and yeah, the guy is over the moon about his Dawgs.

"I would say the entire Bulldog Nation is ... I don’t wanna say stunned by any stretch of the imagination," Goldberg said, "But we're pinching ourselves and finally coming to the realization that the curse is freaking broken and it feels really good."

"It’s pretty amazing how the Bulldog nation has just all come together to celebrate. I’ve heard from people I have not heard from in 30 years in the past 24 hours."

Speaking of Bulldog pride -- Bill's son, Gage Goldberg, is following in his dad's footsteps on the gridiron ... and hopes to play for Kirby Smart at Georgia one day.

"Oh, God yeah, 100 percent," Goldberg said. "To have another Goldberg at the University of Georgia -- First and foremost, hopefully, they’d take another Goldberg there."

Goldberg tells us that 15-year-old Gage has been going to Smart's football camp for years now ... and while his son is juggling multiple sports -- baseball, wrestling, and football to name a few -- he has his sights set on attending UGA.

"He’s got two more years of high school and his complete goal, his number one goal right now, is to be a Georgia Bulldog."

The ex-NFL player admits that it would, indeed, be a dream come true for his son to land in Athens ... but he tells us he'll support Gage no matter what direction he chooses to go in -- so long as that direction doesn't take him to Florida.

"Our goal as parents is to provide our son with the best opportunity to follow his dreams," Bill said. "Whether it's football, baseball, or wrestling. Whatever it may be, we’re in his corner. 100 percent."

"Unless he wants to go to Florida, then I have to put him up for adoption."

Before this cute kid was taking the modeling world by storm, she was just another sweet smiling girl posing for her school picture in front of a Bob Ross-esque mural in Brooklyn, New York.

This grinning gal is a multi-faceted star who has been showing off her numerous talents to the world for almost a decade. You may recognize her from her gorgeous model moments in magazines like Essence and Vogue.

However, her real passion is music ... she's been making hip-hop beats, producing songs, and collaborating with some of the most popular artists today -- such as Schoolboy Q and Miguel.

Trey Songz is denying allegations he raped a woman in a Sin City hotel ... with his team telling us he will be exonerated after the legal process plays out.

Here's the deal ... artist Dylan Gonzalez is accusing Trey of raping her in what she calls a "well known" Las Vegas hotel and says she's weighing her legal options. A source close to Dylan tells us the incident happened several years ago.

But a rep for Trey tells TMZ ... "Trey and his team are confident in the legal process and that there will be an abundance of exonerating information to come over the next few weeks."

Dylan's legal team, attorneys Ariel Mitchell and George Vrabeck, tell TMZ ... they will consider pursuing any and all legal avenues and will take action in the next few weeks, with plans for filing a civil suit. They do not mention anything about filing a police report or criminal charges.

Dylan has a few singles out and got into music after starring on the UNLV women's basketball team.

The men who cops say gunned down Young Dolph are in custody ... after a manhunt which resulted in their arrests.

23-year-old Justin Johnson was taken in by U.S. Marshals Officers Tuesday in Indiana, he's wanted on a slew of charges out of Memphis ... including first-degree murder. 32-year-old Cornelius Smith was also booked on a first-degree murder charge Tuesday, but unclear if the Marshals or Memphis PD got him.

As we reported ... cops announced Wednesday Johnson was wanted for murdering Young Dolph ... and Johnson went on social media Saturday to announce plans to turn himself in come Monday ... which he didn't do.

FOX 13 in Memphis was first to break the news of the suspects' capture.

Johnson, who claims he is innocent, was on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted list ... and law enforcement says he has ties to organized crime. Smith has not yet made a public statement about his involvement in the murder.

Team USA hero Suni Lee says her Instagram followers are still banned from commenting on pics of her BF following the hate she's gotten for being in an interracial relationship ... telling TMZ Sports she's going to keep that section disabled.

As we previously reported, the gold medalist recently opened up about receiving hurtful messages from members of the Hmong community after going public with her USC football player boyfriend, Jaylin Smith ... saying, "they support me when it’s beneficial for them never when it comes to my happiness."

We spoke with the Hmong-American Olympic hero about the situation at LAX on Monday ... and she says it's time for people to change their views on interracial relationships.

"It should be normalized," Lee tells us while rocking her BF's #19 USC gear ... adding she's very happy in her relationship, no matter how others feel.

Suni says she'll continue to prevent the haters from leaving nasty comments on her relationship pics ... but points out there's also been some good to come of it.

"I've also gotten a lot of support and I'm really thankful."

Bob Saget's final comedy show was a mixed bag of highs and lows that was chock-full of gratitude for what he loved most ... entertaining people

Murray Beard -- who was at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Jacksonville, where Saget performed Saturday night -- tells us he remembers Bob being absolutely thrilled to be on stage in front of audiences again ... something Beard says he mentioned time and again throughout his 2-hour set.

One thing Beard remembers well ... Bob's energy, which was very, very high. From his eye, nothing seemed off about Bob's demeanor.

Michelle Johnson, who was also at the show, backs up Beard's observations ... she adds Bob was a bit all over the place with his feelings, going from jubilant to pensive in a flash.

She says, yes, he did express how happy he was to be performing again ... while also repeatedly going back to the topic of comedians who'd passed away. While she didn't mention a name, you gotta imagine Bob talked about Norm Macdonald, who died last year. The two of them were super close.

3x Olympic track star, Deon Lendore has tragically died after a three-car crash in Texas, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

He was only 29.

The Texas Department of Public Safety tells us Lendore was driving westbound on FM 485 in Milam County in his 2015 Volkswagen Jetta on Monday, when it crossed over the center line and "sideswiped a vehicle" coming the opposite way.

Lendore continued and drifted over the center line again crashing into a 2018 Infiniti SUV head-on.

Texas DPS says Lendore was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the Infiniti, a 65-year-old woman, was transported to the nearby hospital with "incapacitating injuries".

The driver that was sideswiped suffered no injuries.

The Trinidadian sprinter competed in 3 Olympics -- including the 2020 Tokyo games -- and won the bronze medal in the 4x400 meter at the 2012 games in London.

Lendore also won silver in the World 4x400m in 2015 and is a three-time world indoor bronze medalist.

He's also a multi-time champ at Texas A&M and was currently a volunteer coach for the 400 and 800-meter student-athletes.

Several track stars reacted to the tragic news on social media, 2x Olympian Gwen Berry wrote, "Wow... Rest in Power."

"One thing I learned last year was the importance of LIVING," Berry said, "do what you want… deal with what you want… love who you want. Don’t DIE just to LIVE.  You LIVE then DIE.. I’ve been happier ever since."

PUMA also released a statement, saying "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Deon Lendore, who has been a part of the PUMA Family since 2017."

"We are honored that he had chosen us to be by his side for a large part of his successful track & field career. Our thoughts are with his family. Rest in peace."

Geno Smith was allegedly a huge jerk during his arrest on Monday ... with cops saying he threatened them and even told one, "you have a little d**k."

Washington State Patrol officers spelled out the allegations in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, claiming the Seattle Seahawks quarterback was combative and argumentative with them through much of the process of his arrest.

In the docs, cops say they pulled over Smith at around 2 AM in King County -- just hours after Seattle finished beating the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday -- after they claim they clocked his Rolls Royce going 96 MPH in a 60 MPH zone.

Officers say Smith was also driving erratically and changing lanes without signaling ... and during questioning, they say he reeked of booze.

Cops say Smith told them he had consumed wine before getting behind the wheel -- and then became upset with them during ensuing field sobriety tests.

In the docs, officers say Smith argued with them ... and eventually decided to stop doing the tests altogether. That's when cops say they arrested him and took him back to the station -- where they claim he made a comment about a cop's penis size.

One of the officers wrote in the docs, "I joked with him about how my wife thinks I work too much. Somehow he said that's because 'you have a little d***.'"

"I said, wow, maybe that is the problem, then he said you have a little d***, 'you have little d*** syndrome.'"

Cops say Smith ultimately refused to take a breath test, so they took him from there to the hospital to have his blood drawn.

But while at the medical facility, they say the 31-year-old refused to have his blood taken and then became enraged.

"I'll f*** every one of y'all up," one officer says Smith told them.

Another officer said Smith told them, "you don't want to see me out of these cuffs, you don't want to know what will happen."

Officers say they eventually had to put restraints on Smith's arms and legs in order to take his blood ... and claim the entire time Smith said, "that we were going to regret this and that we would all be famous for this."

After the blood was successfully taken, cops say they took Smith back to the station and booked him on a DUI charge.

Smith -- who's set to be an NFL free agent this offseason -- released a statement late Monday afternoon following the arrest, urging his fans to not rush to judgment.

Kim Kardashian's got no beef with Kanye dating actress Julia Fox, and actually believes the fact Julia's a huge fan of the Kardashian family could be a good sign of things to come in co-parenting with Kanye.

Sources close to Kim tell us she's happy to see Kanye out smiling again, and only wants to see him end up with a good person -- something that's up to Kanye to figure out -- and not for Kim to judge.

As you know, Julia has raved about the Kardashian family, calling herself a "Die-Hard" fan of 'Keeping Up.'

Our sources say, in Kim's eyes, the fact Julia admires her is a good thing -- and if her relationship with Ye continues to grow and Julia comes around the kids -- it'll make co-parenting easier if everyone gets along.

We're told Kim has fully moved on from her romantic relationship with Kanye ... and positive vibes are all she wants for her estranged hubby.

Of course, Kim's been having plenty of fun of her own with Pete Davidson -- most recently they were in the Bahamas with friends, and before that they rendezvous'd in Palm Springs, and enjoyed private dinners in NYC and L.A.

An NFL fan was captured on video yelling an anti-gay slur at Patrick Mahomes' brother before the Chiefs took on the Broncos on Sunday.

The incident went down at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver ... when Jackson Mahomes and Patrick's fiancee, Brittany Matthews, were down on the field taking pregame pictures and videos.

You can hear in footage from the scene, a fan in the stands clearly yelling for Jackson with a homophobic slur repeatedly.

"Hey, Ma-H**o!" the fan screamed. "Ma-H**o!"

The offensive comments were so loud, Brittany actually heard them ... and yelled back at the man several times, "That's rude!"

It's unclear if there were further interactions between the Mahomes family, the fan and stadium security.

Bob Saget's cause of death might not be determined for weeks, but law enforcement working the case see signs pointing to a sudden medical emergency -- specifically a heart attack or stroke ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... authorities involved in the investigation say the position in which Bob's body was found, and a lack of evidence supporting drug use or foul play are the main reasons they suspect a heart attack.

TMZ broke the story ... Bob was found in his Ritz-Carlton Orlando hotel room by security. Cops say the comedian was lying face-up on the bed, with his left arm across his chest, and his right arm lying beside him. We're told the hand on the chest could point to a heart attack.

Our sources say authorities are exploring Bob's revelation last week that he'd recently battled COVID-19. Developing blood clots has been reported as a possible complication from the virus.

Of course, we're told a final cause can't be determined until the medical examiner gets Bob's toxicology results. The Orange Co. M.E.'s Office says it could take 10-12 weeks to complete.

Saget performed a standup show in Jacksonville Saturday night before making the 2-hour trek to Orlando.