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Actress Shonka Dukureh, who recently gained attention for her role in the "Elvis" movie has died ... TMZ has learned.

Cops say Shonka -- who plays Big Mama Thornton in the film -- was found dead Thursday in a bedroom inside her Nashville apartment. It was one of Shonka's young children who found her ... the child then ran to alert a neighbor, who called 911 around 9:30 AM.

At this time, police say there's no foul play suspected in the actress' death.

Investigators are awaiting autopsy results before they can determine a cause of death.

Not only did Shonka appear in "Elvis" ... she was also in Doja Cat's "Vegas" music video, where she played the Big Mama Thornton role as well.

Shonka was only 44.

Bo Jackson's heart is clearly as big as his muscles ... the two-sport legend just revealed he donated to Uvalde shortly after May's horrific shooting, helping pay for the victims' funerals.

The former NFL and MLB player told The Associated Press on Wednesday he felt the need to lend a helping hand after having been to the city multiple times throughout his years of traveling through west Texas.

"It’s just not right for parents to bury their kids. It’s just not right," said Jackson, whose donation had previously been made anonymously.

"I know every family there probably works their butts off just to do what they do. ... The last thing they needed was to shell out thousands of dollars for something that never should have happened."

Jackson told the AP he and a close friend quietly flew to Uvalde three days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary ... and gave a $170,000 check to Gov. Greg Abbott, and offered then to pay for the funeral expenses.

"In a truly selfless act," Abbott said. "Bo covered all funeral expenses for the victims’ families so they would have one less thing to worry about as they grieved."

Added Jackson, "Uvalde is a town that sticks in your mind. Just the name."

Screw you and Mickey Mouse ears!

The Magic Kingdom's looking more like a WWE ring after 2 families went toe-to-toe in a massive brawl Wednesday ... reportedly sending someone out of the park in an ambulance.

The tussle went down at Disney World in Orlando as tempers started to flare inside the theme park's Fantasyland. The families were near the exit of Mickey's PhilharMagic theater ... where a woman left the line to retrieve a cellphone she'd left on a nearby wheelchair.

When she returned, she tried to rejoin her family, but according to a report by Walt Disney World News Today ... that's when things got violent.

Another family -- dressed in matching Disney-themed red and white outfits -- allegedly blocked her from moving past them in the line, and next thing ya know, voices were raised ... and then fists were flying!

Guests walking by the brawl -- seemingly involving about 20 people -- began to scramble, with some even trying to calm things down. After several minutes, security eventually arrived to break up the fighting.

One man reportedly had a large cut on his chin and had to be transported by ambulance for medical care.

Beyonce and her famous friends have the Internet in a Thursday tizzy for her new album, which is still a week away ... but now we know, it'll be hip-hop heavy when it's released.

The megastar revved up her 269 million Instagram followers with a slick "Renaissance" tracklist drop that revealed popping song names like "Alien Superstar," "Heated" and "America Has A Problem."

Apple Music put the album up for pre-order today ... unveiling the entire contributor list and Queen Bey's enlisted some heavy hitters!

Jay-Z, Drake, The-Dream + Tricky Stewart, Pharrell + Chad Hugo, Kanye artist 070 Shake and many more are listed as contributors ... meaning they could have either collaborated on the project, been sampled or both!

Hit-Boy also reunites with Bey yet again to produce the song "Thique."

The album drops on July 29 ... when the Beyhive will likely force a new world order.

Fans already lost their minds over the album cover art -- Beyonce stunting on a crystal horse, while promising an escape from "perfectionism" and plenty of options to wiggle!

Ricky Martin is now speaking out about his nephew's claims that they had a sexual relationship and he stalked him, saying the last 2 weeks have been horrendous.

Ricky appeared on a video, obtained by TMZ, in which he expressed how he's been feeling over the last few weeks since the claims surfaced.

He says he needed to talk in order to start the healing process. Martin says he was muzzled by Puerto Rican law until the case concluded. TMZ broke the story, Ricky's nephew dropped the restraining order Thursday morning in court.

Ricky says it's been painful not just for him but for his family and friends. As for his nephew, "I wish him the best and I wish he finds the help so he can start a new life filled with love and truth and joy and that he doesn't hurt anyone else."

Ricky says his therapy will be music and he's anxious to jump back on stage ... btw, he's performing at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend.

Kim Kardashian broke bread with Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian after a whirlwind week for the famous sisters, who had plenty to catch up on over dinner.

It's the first time we've seen Kim, Kylie and Khloe together in a while ... they grabbed a bite Wednesday night at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica.

For Khloe, it's her first public appearance since we first reported she's having another baby -- reportedly a boy -- with Tristan Thompson. The child will be born via surrogate, and Tristan's busy partying in Greece with different women. So, there's a few dinner topics right there.

Still unclear if the baby's been born ... we were told there's a possibility he's already here.

Kim's back in Los Angeles after taking her private jet down to Australia over the weekend to see boyfriend Pete Davidson ... more evidence the couple is still going strong. It's a good bet Pete's name came up at the dinner table.

Private jets probably came up in conversation too ... Kylie's catching backlash for some of her recent flights on her luxury jet and for bragging about Travis Scott's private plane too.

Kylie wore a silver dress while the rest of the dinner party, including BFF Stassie Karanikolaou and Yris Palmer, dressed in all black.

Amber Heard is officially appealing the verdict in her defamation case with Johnny Depp.

Amber's attorneys filed the necessary documents Thursday in Fairfax County, Virginia to appeal the $10.3 million judgment a jury ordered her last month to pay her ex-husband.

The jury also ruled Johnny had to pay Amber $2 million, so effectively she owes him $8.3 mil in damages -- but she had vowed since the day of the verdict that she would appeal.

As we reported, Amber also filed a motion requesting a new trial, because one of the jurors in the case had come to court when it was actually his father who received the jury summons. However, the judge rejected that motion.

Johnny doesn't seem concerned Amber's followed through on appealing the verdict. His rep tells TMZ ... "The jury listened to the extensive evidence presented during the six-week trial and came to a clear and unanimous verdict that the defendant herself defamed Mr. Depp in multiple instances. We remain confident in our case and that this verdict will stand.”

Daily Mail first reported Amber's appeal.

Ricky Martin just won his case against his nephew who accused him of having a sexual relationship and then harassing him afterward, and that's because the 21-year-old nephew withdrew his claim.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the judge has dismissed the temporary restraining order that he had issued a week ago.

We're told Ricky showed up on zoom. His legal team tells TMZ, "Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the court. The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure."

The team went on ... "And the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter. The request came from the accuser asking to dismiss the case. This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them. We are glad that our client saw justice done and can now move forward with his life and his career."

As we reported, the nephew had claimed he and Ricky had a 7-month sexual affair and after it ended Ricky began stalking and harassing him. Ricky strongly denied the allegations, saying he never had a sexual relationship with the man. The singer's legal team said the nephew suffers from mental issues.

The nephew had obtained a temporary restraining order last week, but Ricky and his team were not in court.

President Joe Biden is experiencing firsthand the COVID wave, because he caught the 'Rona like millions of others.

According to The White House, Biden is experiencing "very mild symptoms."

He has been out in recent days stumping this week in front of big crowds, fighting for climate change laws. After his speech Wednesday, he mingled maskless with a bunch of people, also mostly unmasked.

The White House Biden is fully vaccinated and twice boosted, he is taking Paxlovid, which treats the symptoms of the virus.

The White House says Biden will isolate at The White House, but he will continue working. He will stay in isolation until he tests negative.

The White House Medical Unit is contacting folks who came in close contact with the President.

Biden was recently in Saudi Arabia, where The White House announced he would fist-bump, rather than shake hands, in an effort to avoid COVID. However, after taking heat for a fist-bump with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he seemingly switched to shaking hands with other leaders.

Biden's last test for COVID was Tuesday, when he tested negative.

Thomas Lane, one of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd, has been sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison on a federal civil rights charge.

Lane was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson following his conviction in February -- as you'll recall, Lane held Floyd’s legs as Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd for nearly 9 1/2 minutes back in 2020.

Federal prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to 6 1/2 years.

Lane's attorney had requested a little over 2 years for his client, insisting Lane had the least to do with Floyd's death and pointing out Lane asked the other officers twice if Floyd should be turned on his side instead.

Welp, now we know Drake's biggest fear ... 'cause he was floating like a butterfly to avoid getting stung by a bee -- and it happened when all eyes were on him at a St. Tropez party.

A brief, but pretty hilarious clip shows Drizzy dodging like mad while his crew swats at the buzzing guest at their table. Seriously, he looked like Creed ducking jabs in a boxing ring!

But, it's good to be the Champagne Papi ... because his entourage was working OT to keep him safe

He's got no shame in his game, though, when it comes to his melissophobia!

When fans saw all the buzz -- and the comical video clip -- around Drake, he openly admitted ... "I hate bees on god."

Perhaps looking to change the conversation ... Drake posted what we gotta call a thirst trap pic of himself shirtless and lounging in the south of France.

Effective.

BTW ... that sting operation went down at the same party where Drake had posted videos trolling Joe Budden after his 2003 hit "Pump It Up" was played at the party.

The scene at Papi Steak following the March altercation between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal was so frantic ... a cop called for multiple units to get there quickly, new 911 audio reveals.

In the clip, obtained by TMZ Sports, a man identifying as an off-duty police officer told dispatch that he had spoken to Covington (whose name was redacted in the file) and said the UFC star had told him Masvidal "sucker punched" him following dinner at the popular Miami eatery.

The cop, with urgency in his tone, can be heard in the audio telling the dispatcher, "Can we send a bunch of, or a few units ..." He later added in the call, "If you could just send units on a three, please."

As we reported, Covington alleged that on March 21, Masvidal attacked him with a flurry of punches ... chipping his tooth and damaging his $90,000 Rolex.

Masvidal was eventually arrested over the incident, and later charged with two felonies.

The UFC fighter -- who had lost to Covington in a match just days before the altercation in the Florida street -- has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He's due in court for another hearing in the case next month.

The Uvalde massacre has traumatized the entire community ... and now we've learned the U.S. government is stepping in to offer mental health services -- to some members of law enforcement.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection earmarked a little over $15,000 for a mental health specialist to counsel Border Patrol agents who were present during the shooting.

The agency hired trauma expert Carrie A. Elk -- who runs a practice out of Florida. She'll be providing "psychological health training in response to the Uvalde TX School Shooting for Government personnel"... this according to federal procurement docs obtained by TMZ.

The exact amount USCBP dropped to bring Dr. Elk in ... $15,450. This will cover 6 days of therapy.

We spoke to Dr. Elk ... who wouldn't comment on specifics, but did tell us that she's often contracted by Border Patrol and the military to provide counseling after events like Uvalde.

It's unclear if Elk is doing one-on-one sessions with folks at Border Patrol -- whose agents ended up being the ones to take out the shooter in the slow-moving raid -- but she does say she'll often teach techniques to agents about how to identify emotional triggers, how to process painful memories and how to cope with trauma they experience on the job.

'Black Ink' star Ceaser Emanuel has turned himself in to authorities in connection to animal cruelty charges ... just weeks after a video showing him abusing a dog went viral.

A spokesperson for the City of South Fulton PD in Georgia tells TMZ Emanuel turned himself in ... jail records show Emanuel is facing two misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and one felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Ceaser was fired from "Black Ink Crew" shortly after the video -- which shows him beating a dog with a metal chair -- surfaced online. Emanuel's attorney says the video was recorded during COVID lockdown and possibly leaked by an ex-GF who had it out for Emanuel.

Cops have not yet confirmed if the charges are in connection to the abuse video, but we know investigators from South Fulton were looking into the incident ... so it likely lines up.

Of course, whether it was leaked or not, there's no excuse for abusing an animal ... but Ceaser insists the video doesn't reflect his true self -- telling us he was only trying to break up a fight between his animals.

Since the video was recorded, Ceaser tells us he no longer owns one of the dogs, it was given to a friend.

Tristan Thompson was put on BLAST at the ESPY Awards by Lil Rel Howery, as he told one Olympian with a Kardashian-sounding name to steer clear of the guy.

The ESPYs were full of laughs from athletes Wednesday night at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, and Lil Rel didn't hold back when he got on mic and congratulated snowboarder and 2-time Olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim.

He says he knew she'd be successful just because her first and last names are the same as 2 of the Kardashians ... he gave her some advice, too -- "Watch out for them Tristans, that's all I got to say."

The crowd burst into laughter, as he responded, "Yeah I said it! Y'all thinkin' it," obviously referring to the guy's cheating streak.

Lil Rel's callout comes as Tristan and Khloe Kardashian await the imminent birth of their newest addition -- although it may have already happened. TMZ broke the story around the same time the basketball player was in Greece partying it up.

Farrah Abraham has been put on blast for allegedly taking her 13-year-old to a club ... but she says her critics don't know what's really up.

Farrah tells TMZ ... she went with her daughter, Sophia, and her friends to an "all ages" concert at The Empire Control Room in Texas Monday, thinking it would just be safer if she were there -- referencing last year's Astroworld tragedy.

Farrah's been getting slammed ever since posting about the event, with many assuming the 13-year-old was under the venue's age limit and that it was wrong to take a 13-year-old regardless.

She says there was no age limit for this particular concert. As for taking a 13-year-old, Farrah says she wanted to educate her kid on how to have a fun yet safe time at a concert.

Farrah's been working through a 12-step program for substance abuse and believes it's helped her with everything, including parenting. BTW, she says she was knockin' back H2O during the performances.