TMZ.com Home

Model and influencer Niece Waidhofer -- who often worked to help her followers through their mental health struggles -- has died by suicide ... TMZ has learned.

Niece's family tells us, "Sadly, Niece took her own life after a long battle with mental health issues." The 31-year-old died in Houston, TX.

Her family says, "She was very open with her followers about her struggles, even wanting to help followers who also suffered." We're told a non-profit called "Peace from Niece" will be established in her honor, and the org will benefit mental health awareness and provide grants for mental illness research.

Niece's family says she took pride in the fact she wrote all of her Instagram posts herself, and shot the majority of her photos without a professional photog.

As for the circumstances surrounding her death, law enforcement sources tell us they got a call from a concerned family member last month to check on Niece at her Houston-area residence ... and that's when she was discovered.

Fans of Waidhofer -- who had amassed 4.2 million followers on Instagram -- became concerned when she wiped her account of almost all of her photos ... she left only 3 posts. Turns out she did that in the weeks leading up to her death.

Her family adds, "Niece was more than her struggles. She was beautiful and kind, sensitive and funny, creative and talented, generous and compassionate, thoughtful and challenging. While it is so very painful to say goodbye, we take comfort knowing she is reunited with her father, her three grandparents, her Uncle Rusty, and her beloved Puff; and that she is now free to be herself and, finally, at peace."

RIP

There could be a "Watergate moment" in the January 6th hearings ... because there are HOURS of footage not just before the insurrection, but on that very day and after ... and the House Committee has now subpoenaed all of it.

Filmmaker Alex Holder had incredible access to Donald Trump and his family from September 2020 right through January 6th.

Somehow this all flew under the radar until this week ... and it could provide the Committee with not only video showing Trump's state of mind after he lost the election -- something critical for the Justice Dept. in deciding whether to prosecute him -- but it could show what Trump was doing while rioters stormed the Capitol.

Discovery just released a trailer for the doc, and it's apparent Trump opens up about January 6th. This is incredibly significant because if the interviews were done shortly after the insurrection, Trump would have been oblivious to how this all eventually played out with Congress and the public. In other words, he may have expressed his true feelings.

We don't know if Holder was filming in the Oval Office on January 6th ... if he was, it would show Trump glued to the TV and, even more important, what he was saying as various officials and family members begged him to put a halt to the attack on the Capitol.

As for why this could be a "Watergate moment" ... back in '73, no one knew about the secret Nixon tapes in the Oval office until mid-hearings, and that's what brought Nixon down.

For Holder's part, he said ... "When we began this project in September 2020, we could have never predicted that our work would one day be subpoenaed by Congress," he said. "As a British filmmaker, I had no agenda coming into this. We simply wanted to better understand who the Trumps were and what motivated them to hold onto power so desperately. We have dutifully handed over all the materials the Committee has asked for and we are fully cooperating."

The doc will run on Discovery+ sometime this summer in 3 parts.

An artistic swimmer nearly lost her life after passing out in the pool following an intense routine at a major event Wednesday ... but, thankfully, her coach quickly dove into the water and rescued her.

The terrifying scene went down at the FINA World Aquatic Championships in Budapest, Hungary ... when American Anita Alvarez had just wrapped up a performance in the women's solo free event and suddenly fainted.

The photos from the pool are horrifying ... they show a lifeless Alvarez sinking to the bottom, clearly in danger of drowning.

Fortunately, her coach, Andrea Fuentes, immediately knew something was wrong ... and jumped in to save her.

Fuentes grabbed Alvarez, pulled her to the top ... and, according to U.S. Artistic Swimming officials, the 25-year-old swimmer is now expected to be OK despite the grim images.

"Anita has been evaluated by medical staff and will continue to be monitored," the team said in a statement Thursday morning. "She is already feeling much better and using today to rest."

Fuentes, meanwhile, spoke about her heroic efforts to BBC on Thursday morning ... saying she had to rub Alvarez's face to get her to release the water she had taken into her lungs after collapsing in the pool.

"She was very tight on her jaw," Fuentes said. "So I tried to wake her up and massage the jaw because it was too tense. And then she coughed and threw up the water out."

Shockingly, this is not the first time Alvarez has needed Fuentes to rescue her ... the swimmer had a similar incident go down last year at an Olympic qualification event.

U.S. Artistic Swim officials said there is now a chance Alvarez could still compete in Friday's team event.

The Burger King employee celebrating 27 years on the job says he felt let down by a mediocre goodie bag from his company, and yet ... he's still expressing incredible gratitude. Ya might wanna grab some tissues.

We spoke to 54-year-old Kevin Ford -- who works as a cook/cashier at the BK in the Las Vegas airport -- about how his employer chose to mark his anniversary. While the video of him showing off the bag contents went viral, Kevin doesn't want anyone thinking he's ungrateful ... he just found the reward a little lackluster.

He tells us HMS Host, the company from which Burger King hires, sent him what felt like stuff they had lying around the office.

Kevin's been around long enough to know that pre-COVID, employees would get checks for their anniversaries with the company.

That being said, Kevin told us he's just thankful to have a job in these difficult times, and doesn't want to throw shade at his company.

The good news is that with more than a quarter-century under his belt, someone DID step up to show appreciation -- Kevin's daughter.

He got emotional while telling us about his daughter's GoFundMe fundraiser for him to visit his grandkids in Texas, and it's already passed the $3,000 mark. Kevin says he'll use it to take a day off and possibly get a new car -- American and hybrid. Smart.

A spokesperson for Burger King tells TMZ ... "The Burger King brand and its many franchisees nationwide are committed to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the thousands of people serving across a wide range of roles — all dedicated to providing our Guests a world-class experience."

They continue, "Following review with this location’s franchisee, we’ve learned that this video depicts a Team Member in receipt of a peer-to-peer reward in recognition of a short-term positive performance/experience. The franchisee offers its Team Members a robust employee recognition program, which includes the recognition of tenure milestones and monetary awards."

Beyoncé haters can take several seats as far as Robin S. is concerned ... because Bey's "Break My Soul" is opening all kinds of doors for the 90s hitmaker.

Beyonce's first single from a studio album in 6 years samples Robin's smash 1993 hit, "Show Me Love" -- and if your ear didn't pick that up, you're in the minority.

Robin tells us ever since 'Break' dropped Tuesday, she's been flooded by record labels, corporations and artists ... all looking to work with her.

Get ready to hear more of that 90s dance vibe -- Robin says her team's phones are ringing nonstop with inquiries about licensing her "Show Me Love" master recordings for various purposes.

She says the calls are coming from ad agencies, record labels and top DJs ... and her team is frantically trying to vet the offers as quickly as possible. So, If you've ever doubted the Beyonce effect is a real thing, Robin can testify.

Most importantly, though, she's elated and grateful Bey is giving her her flowers while she's still here ... an honor many artists don't get.

She says "Show Me Love" is her legacy, and to have an artist of Queen B's stature acknowledge and appreciate her music is one of the highest compliments ever.

Robin's already plenty popular -- currently traveling through North America and Europe on a sold-out tour through August -- but Bey's adding new revenue stream opportunities.

Steph Curry's NBA championship celebration is STILL going on ... the 2x-MVP took a trip to a theme park in Northern California with his family on Wednesday to keep the good times rollin'!

TMZ Sports has obtained pics and videos of the four-time champion hitting up "Great America" in Santa Clara ... just two days after the 34-year-old was seen partying his ass off at the Warriors' championship parade on Monday.

Witnesses tell us ... Curry -- flanked by his three kids, Riley, Ryan, and Canon -- was all smiles throughout the day. Ayesha, we're told, didn't make the trip.

Of course, the greatest shooter in NBA history got on a bunch of rides with the crew ... and was seen enjoying himself on a kids roller coaster called "Lucy's Crabbie Cabbies."

Most championship winners tend to hit Disneyland following their big games ... but seems the Golden State superstar chose to keep the theme park celly local this time around.

American actress Laura-Leigh was 22 years old when she was cast to be a part of 'Vanderpump Rules' -- Bravo's hit reality show, first airing in 2013, led by the one and only restaurateur and television personality Lisa Vanderpump.

Laura-Leigh served crispy chicken sandwiches and fried goat cheese balls with some of television's most dramatic stars including Stassi Schroeder, LaLa Kent, Jax Taylor, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz, Scheana Shay, Kristen Doute and Katie Maloney.

Laura-Leigh left the show after one season when she booked a role in "We're The Millers" starring Jennifer Aniston.

Britney Spears is back from where she came -- Instagram!!!

Britney re-activated her account Wednesday, with a post about marriage, swimming and steak. In other words ... authentic Brit.

For starters she shared a pic of her, wearing a bikini in her new swimming pool ... the pool attached to the new house she's sharing with hubby Sam.

Here's what she wrote for starters ... "Haven't been on my honeymoon yet ...  got married and moved into a new house around the same time ... not the smartest thing to do ... 🤧🤧🤧 🤔🤔🤔 ... oh well it's coming together ... it's so weird I wake up and everything is new ... new pool ... new kitchen ... new bed ... I think I am in shock !!!"

TMZ broke the news ... Britney scooped up an $11.8 million mansion in Calabasas shortly after tying the knot ... not a stone's throw but still near where Kevin Federline lives with their 2 sons, Sean and Jayden.

Brit seems to be settling into life as a newlywed. She told her fans she's still figuring stuff out, but one thing's for certain -- she likes the inside and outside of her new palace.

She left IG unexpectedly earlier this month, shortly after her wedding ... and another time back in March. Now she's active again and here to let folks know, as she puts it, "life is good 💋💋💋🌹🌹🌹 !!!"

"Selling Sunset" star Maya Vander -- one of the show's first cast members -- will not be returning next season ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us Maya will not return to the Netflix reality series because she's focused on raising her family and continuing to build her real estate business in Miami. Not only that, Maya recently switched her real estate license to be a member of the Compass real estate firm.

We're told Maya loved her time on the show ... but the commute from Miami to Los Angeles to be a part of the production got to be a lot to handle, especially with young kids.

She was also noticeably absent during the MTV Movie Awards when most of the other cast attended.

Maya shared some devastating news Wednesday, revealing she'd suffered a miscarriage just 6 months after her son's stillbirth. We're told the weight of that loss also factored into Maya's decision to end her time on "Selling Sunset."

In sharing the sad news, Maya thanked her husband, Dave Miller, and her two kids -- Aiden and Elle -- for the "joy and happiness" they bring to her life.

It's all coming to life ... Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's Barbie and Ken characters came face-to-face on set -- the first time fans have gotten a glimpse of the two together.

Both clearly were dressed in wardrobe from Barbie's cowgirl collection Tuesday in L.A. Gosling sported a black ensemble, complete with a white cowboy hat -- and Robbie wore Barbie's signature pink with a white hat.

It's the first time we've seen both characters together on set -- but not the first time we've seen them in costume.

Fans went nuts when pics of both Gosling and Robbie were first dropped, showing them in the iconic roles.

While Margot and Ryan are seemingly the movie's leads ... there are also reports other stars will be featured as Barbie and Ken in Greta Gerwig's movie. Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa are the alleged additional Kens and Issa Rae and Hari Nef are the alleged other Barbies.

Daily Harvest -- a food subscription company known for pre-made vegan meals -- is being slammed by scores of customers who claim the company's Lentil + Leek Crumbles have caused debilitating stomach pain, liver and gallbladder damage and other problems.

One customer says the product caused so much gallbladder damage, doctors were forced to remove it. And get this ... she added, "The crumbles were delicious by the way." Thank you Mrs. Lincoln for that.

D.H. has recalled the product and says it's launched an investigation.

Another customer says he suffered abdominal pain, fever, nausea and fatigue, but then things got even worse ... his liver readings were sky high, and the guy doesn't even drink.

And yet another user says he's been sick for weeks. There are customers who say things got so bad they landed in the hospital.

After asking customers to toss the product, D.H. got mocked mercilessly, after posting, "An important message regarding our French lentil + Leek Crumbles. Link in bio with details." Customers felt the company should have sounded an alarm rather than burying "details" in the bio.

NFL legend Tony Siragusa has died at 55 years old, his former Baltimore Ravens teammate, Jamal Lewis, confirmed to TMZ Sports.

"It's a sad day to be a Raven I must say," the ex-running back said on Wednesday.

A cause of death for the former defensive lineman has not yet been revealed.

Siragusa -- a 6-foot-3, 340-pound defensive tackle -- initially broke into the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 1990 and became a full-time starter by the 1992 season.

In 1997, he signed with the Baltimore Ravens ... and went on to be a key cog on the legendary 2000 team that won Super Bowl XXXV.

Playing alongside Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson and Adalius Thomas, Siragusa -- nicknamed "Goose" -- helped the Ravens defense set the record for fewest points allowed in a regular season on their way to winning a title.

In his 12 years in the league, he compiled 22 sacks and 564 combined tackles.

Following his playing career, Siragusa gained national fame for his role as an NFL sideline reporter and analyst for Fox. He made audiences laugh with his unique style and knowledge of the game.

Siragusa had also hosted several TV shows after retiring from the NFL, including "Man Caves."

Colts owner Jim Irsay just tweeted about Siragusa's death, saying, "The Goose, Tony Siragusa has passed away at 55.. I’m heart broken as is all of Colts Nation."

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti also commented on Siragusa's passing, writing in a statement, "Our deepest prayers and sympathies go out to Kathy, their three children and the rest of the Siragusa family."

"This is a tremendously sad day for the Baltimore Ravens. We appreciate everyone who has expressed an outpouring of support for our players, coaches and staff."

Juul e-cigarettes will soon be off the shelves, at least according to a report, that states the FDA is planning to ban the product from being sold in the U.S.

The Wall Street Journal reports the Food and Drug Administration is gearing up to order Juul to remove its products from the market following a two-year investigation. The report states Juul had asked to keep the company's nicotine products in rotation.

Juul first came under fire nearly 4 years ago, for marketing to young users with its sleek design and flavors ... ultimately leading to a spike in vaping in underage folks.

The company has been hit with thousands of lawsuits in the U.S. and tried to turn things around, by banning the fruit-flavored products. But clearly, that's not enough for the FDA which is reportedly taking things to the next level.

We should note ... many folks have reportedly been hospitalized and died around the country from different lung-related medical issues since various vaping products have hit the market -- and officials believe the various companies behind the devices are to blame.

French Montana's good mood dampened Wednesday morning when news broke that Lil Tjay was shot and rushed to surgery ... a moment he tweeted about with passion.

We caught up with French in NYC, and Tjay was still on his mind. After all, the two earned a gold plaque (along with Blueface) in 2019 for French's song "Slide."

While French wished Tjay a speedy recovery, he also reinforced the message that rappers have the most "dangerous" job and all the love can often be thinly veiled hate.

On a positive note, we're told Tjay is out of surgery and beginning down the road to recovery ... a fact that'll help French sleep easier.

He's on the verge of dropping his new album "Montega" with Harry Fraud, a new wave of outside music that's approved by NYC Mayor Adams himself ... who just launched a crackdown on illegal dirt biking in the city.

French has no issues with the mayor's tactics on dirt biking -- but, politically, he draws the line on prosecutors using rap lyrics in court cases.

Fred Goldman says the staggering sum that O.J. Simpson owes him has now ballooned to a whopping $96 MILLION, TMZ Sports has learned.

Goldman laid it all out in new court documents, in which he's applying for a renewal of his old judgment against the former NFL star stemming from the death of Fred's son, Ron Goldman.

You'll recall, in 1997 ... O.J. was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the Goldman family after he was found liable in the 1994 killing of Ron, who died along with Nicole Brown Simpson in Brentwood, Calif.

In 2015, Fred said with interest, O.J. owed him $57 million. But, in the new docs, Fred now says interest has continued to pile up over the last 7 years and has now reached nearly $97 mil.

Rupert Murdoch's heading back to divorce court to end his marriage to famed model Jerry Hall ... according to a report.

The CEO and Chairman of Newscorp -- the parent company of FOX -- is splitting from Hall after a little more than 6 years of marriage ... according to the New York Times. The report does not say either has filed divorce papers yet.

This would be Rupert's 4th divorce and Jerry's first. Although she famously dated Mick Jagger for 22 years and had 4 kids with him ... she'd never been married before 2016 when she and Murdoch tied the knot in a small London ceremony.

The 91-year-old Australian media tycoon has 6 children from his previous marriages, but he and Jerry did not have any kids together.

Interestingly, Murdoch swore off social media right after he and Hall got married -- he said he was done tweeting for at least 10 days "or ever."

Unclear if that was a thing he and his new bride agreed to do before walking down the aisle ... but he's been true to his word, not a single tweet since then.