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Howard Kleinberg of 'Top Chef' fame has died from a heart attack.

The kitchen wiz -- who appeared on the third season of the reality show -- passed away last week, which was made public in a local obituary. Howard's mother told the Miami Herald, "I am just finding out how many lives he touched. He was married to his passion in life, which was his cooking."

She also confirmed he'd suffered a heart attack.

Bravo addressed Kleinbeg's death as well, writing ... "The Top Chef family is saddened to learn about the unexpected passing of Howard Kleinberg from season three. Howie’s passion for cooking filled so many and our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends."

HK is best remembered for competing in "Top Chef: Miami" in 2007, where he placed seventh. Afterward, he opened his own restaurant in town called Bulldog Barbecue -- among other eateries as well -- and found success in the local scene.

It was actually a memorable run for Kleinberg -- with one of his highlights from that season being a tense conversation he had with the late Anthony Bourdain, who was chastising him over speed in the kitchen ... only to have the tables turned on him by Howard dropping a Bourdain quote from one of his books, which left AB thoroughly impressed.

Kleinberg is survived by his mom, his stepdad, his sister and her children. He was 46.

Norman Lear is beaming with positivity after hitting a monumental milestone in his life ... sharing what life really means to him, as well as one of his favorite songs.

The TV producer and writer took to Instagram to ring in his 100th birthday, with the help of his daughter, Kate -- opening with a snippet of Dean Martin's "That's Amore" before unloading his gratitude.

Norman says it's a miracle to be living in the times we're in now, with everything that's become available to us, and believes living in the here and now is one of the most important things we can do.

Forget the past, forget the future -- being in the moment is something Norman has treasured for years, and wants everyone to do the same.

Norman's decades in TV have been nothing short of brilliant ... working on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" with legends back in the day before moving to classics like "Sanford and Son," "All in the Family," and "The Jeffersons."

Everything he touched turned to gold -- he's even picked up 6 Emmys for his work over the years as he pushed the boundaries of TV, incorporating controversial topics like abortion, mental health, and sexuality into his shows.

Little People of America -- regarded as the largest dwarfism support organization in the world -- is going after Jerry Jones following his use of the m-word on Tuesday ... demanding he issue an apology immediately.

The LPA slammed the Cowboys owner in a statement to TMZ Sports ... just hours after the 79-year-old used the term while making a joke to a group of media members at the first day of Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif.

"M***** is a term that has widely been known to be derogatory for years and should be common knowledge to anyone in the public arena, such as Jerry Jones," the LPA said. "Ignorance at this point is simply not an excuse. Any use of this disparaging slur along with suggestions or insinuations that our stature exists for amusement is deplorable and inexcusable."

Jones used the term while talking about Larry Lacewell -- the Cowboys' longtime Director of College and Pro Scouting, who passed away at 85 years old in May.

Jones said he wanted to "get me somebody, a m*****" to dress like Lacewell and stand next to him out at practices.

The LPA said Jones' use of the word perpetuates "harmful stereotypes" -- and is now imploring him to say sorry.

"Those who use the term m***** or any terminology that further stigmatizes people born with dwarfism are asked to educate themselves to eradicate this word," the org. said. "Little People of America is asking Jerry Jones to issue an apology and vow to use appropriate terminology rooted in respect and dignity going forward."

So far, no comment yet from Jones or the Cowboys since he made the remark.

Jamie Foxx really knows how to bring down the house, even when he's on a break from show biz ... because he got an Italian restaurant to join him in a rowdy singalong.

The Oscar and Grammy (that's key here) winner was enjoying a night out with friends in Capri when it quickly turned into a full-blown show ... and, he definitely had the crowd going!

Jamie was in great spirits, and he was sipping some too when he got on a microphone to remind the joint who he is ... in song, of course.

In his best R&B/operatic voice he sang, "I'm Jamie Motherf***ing Foxx!!!" -- and the band quickly joined in and pretty soon the whole place was belting out the simple, and hilarious, tune.

Of course, Jamie mixed in one of his radio hits too -- singing a little bit of his "Gold Digger" chorus -- but trust us, everyone left that restaurant singing one name. You will too after watching this.

This outing, combined with his South of France yachting with a mystery lady, makes it clear ... NO ONE is enjoying summer more than Jamie!!!

Elon Musk's alleged mistress's attorney is calling bull on the affair story ... and kinda seems like he might be threatening legal action as well.

Bryan Freedman, who reps Nicole Shanahan, tells TMZ ... "Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory." Freedman first spoke to DailyMail.

There's no further elaboration, but his statement says enough -- and that final line certainly suggests she might be considering her options right now ... attorneys don't use legal terms like "defamatory" unless they're mulling over a lawsuit.

As you know, Elon also denied the story outright after it was published this weekend by the Wall Street Journal -- taking to his favorite platform to bat it down in a variety of ways ... including suggesting it couldn't have been true, because he hadn't had sex "in ages."

He also said he'd just seen Nicole's husband, Sergey Brin, at a party recently ... and posted a photo of the two of them looking cool together. Until now, both Sergey and Nicole have been silent ... which wasn't helping Elon with his case.

Now, though, Nicole's officially weighing in -- and she, too, is claiming the whole thing is made up. It'll be interesting to see if anything more comes of this from either the subjects of the report or WSJ itself.

Chris Brown says the organizer of a benefit concert for victims of Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas has it all wrong -- he didn't bail only hours before the event, and he's even offering a donation to support the community.

Ms. LaJuan Bailey recently blasted CB, claiming he bailed on a March 19 show at the Toyota Center in Houston -- called "One Night Only" -- to raise money for people whose homes were damaged in the 2021 storms.

Bailey says she advanced more than $1 million for Brown's performance fees, accommodations and private plane ... only to get word he was canceling during sound check.

We've spoken to sources close to Chris and have seen a letter his legal team allegedly emailed to event organizers on March 17, informing them CB would no longer perform.

The letter states Bryson Tiller, who was also to perform at the event, had been removed from the lineup without a viable replacement, a violation of the contract Chris had in place ... so Chris wasn't going to perform.

The letter appears to have been sent 2 days before the show, not during the sound check ... when Bailey claims she found out. It's unclear if her team knew earlier and just hadn't told her.

Now, our Chris sources say both sides have been in negotiations to settle the situation -- with Chris offering to make a 6-figure donation to a Houston-based charity, but no agreement's been made yet.

Aaron Rodgers made quite the entrance at Packers camp on Tuesday ... strollin' into the building looking exactly like Nicolas Cage's character in "Con Air!!"

Check out video of A-Rodge heading into the Green Bay facility to begin his 18th season in the NFL -- dude was a clone of Cameron Poe.

The 38-year-old rocked long hair, a white tank top and blue jeans ... just like Cage in the 1997 action thriller.

And, yes, this all did appear to be planned ... 'cause Rodgers used famous quotes from the flick when throwing up pics of his Day 1 'fit on his Instagram.

"#greatestactorofalltime," Rodgers said. "What do you think I'm gonna do? I'm gonna save the f***in' day! #cameronpoe #day1 #year18"

Of course, Rodgers has been known to cause stirs with his training camp attire -- just last year, he headed into practice wearing a "The Office" t-shirt and some sick shades.

That look eventually led to one of Rodgers' best career seasons -- can the "Con Air" copy come through similarly?

Comedian Lil Duval was in no joking mood Tuesday night ... he got into a car accident in the Bahamas and had to be airlifted to a hospital.

Duval, who's a regular on MTV's 'Guy Code' and VH1's 'Hip Hop Squares', posted a video to IG, showing himself covered in bandages and strapped to a gurney as he's wheeled out of an ambulance onto an airstrip.

Medical personnel tended to LD before he was lifted into a small plane. The video ends with LD lying on the stretcher while flying over the Bahamas at night.

Several hours ago, LD gave a brief update to his 3.8 million IG followers, saying he was hit by a car while riding his 4-wheeler. "Now my leg broke and i gotta get flown over to nassau and have surgery."

Duval is also a rapper who has worked with Snoop Dogg and T.I.

T.I. responded online to the bad news, sending his well wishes, "Maaaaaan I'm gon pray that you get well first. Then find it in yo heart to sitcho old ass down somewhere & rest big bro.... Amen [praying hands emoji]."

2 Chainz, Bun B, Angela Simmons, Jamie Foxx, Michael Blackson and other celebs also showed support for LD and hoped for a speedy recovery.

We've reached out to LD's reps and the police for information on his condition ... so far no word back.

Paul Anka is still doing it his way ... performing in front of sold-out venues across the globe at 80 years old ... and he's going to ring in 81 with a special gig next to Andrea Bocelli!!!

The "My Way" singer just wrapped up his tour across Europe, where he played to packed houses in France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and Germany ... not to mention 2 additional sold-out shows in Israel with more than 4,000 in attendance.

Paul tells TMZ ... he had an unbelievable experience on his overseas tour ... and, frankly, it's pretty amazing for a guy who's been in the biz for over 6 decades to still be touring the world.

As you see, Paul's still got tons of energy ... during his tour, he was interacting with the crowd and rockin' the mic!!!

Paul's going to turn 81 Saturday and we're told he'll mark the occasion with a special gig at Andrea's home in Forte dei Marmi, Italy ... the music icons will perform "My Way" together as part of a benefit for Bocelli's foundation.

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are reportedly "very close" to inking a deal to once again meet in the boxing ring, and Dana White has a thought -- "BULLS**T!"

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC President on Tuesday, and asked about a report out of the UK stating the two megastars were all but set to rematch in the near future.

"It's total bullshit!" White told us, adding, "That story came from a paper called The Daily Mirror which is a tabloid in Europe. It's total bulls**t!"

(Note: The Sun first reported the story. Daily Mail and The Mirror -- two separate outlets -- published stories referencing the initial Sun report.)

And, Dana's more than a spectator ... he's an interested party. Conor is under contract with the UFC ... meaning if he wants to box Floyd, the UFC honcho must be involved. Clearly, White -- who has a good relationship with Mayweather -- says it ain't happening ... at least not now.

Of course, Conor and Floyd boxed in August 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ... in what was one of the most promoted and talked about fights in the history of combat sports.

Mayweather, 49-0 in the ring at the time, won by TKO in the 10th round. It was McGregor's first time in a professional boxing match.

Since, Floyd retired after winning his 50th pro fight ... but he's still taken exhibition bouts against guys like Logan Paul.

As for Conor, he broke his leg last summer fighting Dustin Poirier, and while he's getting close to being fully recovered, he isn't there yet.

We also talked to Dana about a highly anticipated rematch that we definitely know is happening this weekend at UFC 276 ... Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena II!

The Venezuelan Vixen forced The Lioness to tap in the 2nd round of their UFC 269 title fight ... and White believes the rematch isn't only one of the biggest fights in the history of women's MMA, but will have major ramifications on both their legacies.

We also chopped it up about Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France fighting for the flyweight interim title ... and Dana gives us his pick for a sleeper fight.

UFC 277 goes down Saturday night from Dallas, TX on ESPN+.

Before this handsome guy turned into a professional basketball player, he was just a typical preteen with exceptional athletic abilities, playing basketball in his backyard and growing up near Seattle, Washington.

After having a successful high school career, this dedicated kid more than earned his spot on the UCLA college basketball team but only played for one season before making his way to the NBA. He played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and currently plays for the Chicago Bulls.

Need one more clue? He won the "Slam Dunk Contest" back in 2015, making him the youngest champion since Kobe Bryant's 1997 win.

Britney Spears may be singing again, but she won't be talking under oath ... at least that's what her lawyer is insisting.

Attorney Mathew Rosengart filed legal docs in the ongoing legal battle against Jamie Spears, saying the battle will be won with documents, physical evidence and the testimony of Jamie. Rosengart says Britney's testimony would not be relevant to any legal proceeding.

Rosengart goes even further, saying he has no reason to call Britney as a witness if the case ends up in trial. He says the fact she would not be called as a witness "eviscerates" any reason why she would need to be deposed.

It appears Rosengart is zeroing in on alleged malfeasance on the part of Jamie that involves money. Although he hasn't played his hand, it seems he may be steering clear of some of the personal allegations Britney has made against her dad.

As we reported, Jamie has asked the judge to order Britney to sit for a deposition, arguing she has made numerous claims against him in court and on social media and some of these allegations go to his performance as a conservator. Jamie has disputed many of the claims Britney made in court a year ago in June.

Donald Trump's back in D.C. for his first public remarks there since January 6, 2021 -- and there are a lot of unhappy people ... many of whom waited to greet him at the door.

The ex-Prez showed up Tuesday at the Marriot Marquis Hotel as the keynote speaker for the America First Policy Institute Summit ... where he said more of the same from his recent speeches -- repeating falsehoods about the election being "stolen," and teasing a run in 2024.

What was happening right outside, however, was far more interesting ... a fair amount of protesters had infiltrated the building and lined several floors inside the hotel, most of them yelling and throwing around flyers to voice their displeasure with DT being there.

What they were apparently chanting ... "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" -- and the pieces of paper they hurled read, "INDICT TRUMP PROTECT DEMOCRACY."

Unclear if any of these people actually breached the conference room where Trump was speaking, but if not, ya gotta imagine they did disrupt a little. Outside, it was just as boisterous with even more demonstrators lining the streets ... on both sides of the Trump line.

Buzz Aldrin's jacket from the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon just sold at auction ... and it set a record for American space-flown memorabilia.

The history-making piece of flight gear, which Buzz wore on NASA's 1969 mission to the moon and back, sold to an unidentified buyer for $2,772,500.

Sotheby's, which auctioned off the jacket and a bunch of other Aldrin space memorabilia, says Buzz's Teflon-coated jacket is the most valuable American artifact flown in outer space.

Buzz didn't wear the jacket when he was walking around on the moon's surface, he was in his spacesuit for that part of the mission, but he actually spent more time in the jacket than anything else during the Apollo 11 mission.

Aldrin says he wore the jacket in the NASA spacecraft for 3 days on the way to the moon, plus another 3 days on the way back to Earth.

Kevin Hart had a priceless reaction to ex-NFL player Channing Crowder's appreciation for nudist colonies ... going full roastmaster mode and clowning the dude on his own show!!

The ex-Dolphins linebacker opened up on his "The Pivot" podcast about how he and his wife of 11 years, Aja, like to take annual exhibitionist trips ... saying, "Once a year, we go to a nudist colony. We go to a place where like you walk in and everybody just gets naked and walks around."

Hart -- who was a guest on the podcast -- looked at CC in complete disbelief ... and asked, "You hear whatchu saying out loud, brother?!"

"Y'all just ... just hanging out, or y'all f***ing these people?"

Crowder admits there are some swingers around when they take their trips ... but explains they don't participate, they just "like being around naked people together."

When CC asks Hart if he's into that kinda stuff ... he shuts down the idea.

"To be honest with you, I have no desire to be around a bunch of people I don't know just sitting there naked," Hart said.

Hart then ends the funny convo with a joke, saying "I'm willing to bet a good number it ain't a lot of put-together people going through this little stage."

Tony Dow, the producer, director and actor most famous for his role as Wally Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" has died after a battle with liver cancer.

A statement from Tony's team reveals he died Tuesday morning, "Tony was a beautiful soul - kind, compassionate, funny and humble. It was truly a joy to just be around him. His gentle voice and unpretentious manner was immediately comforting and you could not help but love him. The world has lost an amazing human being, but we are all richer for the memories that he has left us."

TMZ broke the story, Tony was diagnosed with cancer in May 2022. An update on his cancer battle last week said it was, "... a rollercoaster of ups and downs as Tony continues his fight with cancer. Tony has been in and out of the hospital with various complications and treatments."

The statement continues, "From the warm reminiscences of Wally Cleaver to those of us fortunate enough to know him personally - thank you Tony. And thank you for the reflections of a simpler time, the laughter, the friendship and for the feeling that you were a big brother to us all. We will miss you."

Born in Hollywood, California -- Tony found massive fame as Wally Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" which ran from 1957 to 1963.

Dow continued his acting career on shows like "Never Too Late" and "My Three Sons" before taking a break to serve in The National Guard from 1965 to 1968. He later reprised his role as Wally from 1983-1989 on "The New Leave It To Beaver."

Tony continued acting into the 2000's when he appeared in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."

Tony was 77.

RIP