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Nichelle Nichols, who famously played Lt. Uhura on 'Star Trek,' has died ... this according to her family.

Nichols' son, Kyle Johnson, confirmed the news on Sunday with an update posted to a website dedicated to the life and career of his mother ... writing, "I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years."

He adds, "Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light, however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration. Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all."

Kyle ends by saying this ... "I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further. Her services will be for family members and the closest of her friends and we request that her and our privacy be respected." He also sent a "Live long and prosper" shout out.

Nichols made history as the first African-American woman to play a lead role on television. And with "Star Trek: The Original Series" costar William Shatner ... she also shared the first on-screen kiss between a Black woman and white man on American television.

She played the role for a handful of years and starred in dozens of 'Star Trek' episodes between '66 and '69. However, her acting career went far beyond just the Galactic Barrier.

With 69 acting credits to her name, NN has appeared on several hit shows and movies over the years, including notable voice-over roles, such as ... 'The Lieutenant,' 'Peyton Place,' 'Tarzan,' 'Truck Turner,' 'The Supernaturals,' 'Batman: The Animated Series,' 'Gargoyles,' 'Spider-Man: The Animated Series,' 'Futurama,' 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command,' 'The Simpsons,' 'Snow Dogs,' 'Are We There Yet?' 'Heroes,' 'The Young and the Restless,' and so many others.

Toward the end of her life, Nichols was in an often bitter conservatorship battle with her son -- this after he was granted control of the apparatus once she'd been diagnosed with dementia ... a legal fight that went on for some years, and, at times, got pretty ugly.

Nichelle Nichols was 89.

Amber Heard is leaving the desert -- at least the Southern California part of it, anyway -- as she just offloaded her secluded home for quite a bundle ... TMZ has learned.

The Yucca Valley home that was long rumored to belong to AH since the trial earlier this year was recently sold for $1,050,000, with a closing date of July 18 ... this according to Zillow property records. The crib had been purchased in 2019 through an anonymous trust that reportedly has ties to Amber ... getting quietly snapped at the time for just over $570k.

Well, the speculation is over ... TMZ got a hold of the new owner of this pad, and he tells us yes -- he'd, in fact, been dealing with Amber's people on this deal, but never Amber herself.

With the parcel having changed hands, Amber walks away here with almost double what she paid for it 3 years ago ... a rough profit of about $480k, which is nothing to sneeze at. She'd bought it pre-pandemic, and since then -- property values have mostly gone up.

Of course, things are supposedly tight for her ... especially with this $8.3M judgment to benefit Johnny looming, even though she's trying to appeal it, officially. Her attorneys said she can't afford to pay it ... but, frankly, her financial sitch is ill-defined these days.

Bill Russell -- one of the greatest and most accomplished NBA players of all time -- has died.

The announcement came courtesy of Bill's own official social media page, which posted Sunday with a sad update. The text says BR passed away peacefully with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. The exact circumstances of his death weren't discussed further.

Bill's post goes on to list his many accomplishments, dating back to his high school days. He'd won two state championships on that level, two NCAA titles, a gold medal in the Olympics ... and, of course, 11 NBA championship titles with the Boston Celtics -- plus two titles with that same organization with him as head coach and a player simultaneously, a historic feat at the time ... on several levels, obviously.

His obit here touches on the fact that he was a civil rights activist during his playing time, with boycotts of certain events and public remarks that spoke out against racism and discrimination that was prevalent throughout the U.S. at the time.

Bill is by far one of the GOATs in league history -- evidenced in the fact that the current NBA Finals MVP award is named after him ... something that was instated in 2009.

He's been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice ... once as a player in 1975, and again as a coach just last year. His career is memorable, especially since he broke into the NBA when it was just being expanded as an organization and getting integrated with Black and white players alike, during a time of segregation in the country.

His accolades go well beyond what was mentioned above -- Bill has an enormous amount of NBA honors, including several All-Star appearances, NBA First-Team mentions, lifetime achievement awards and on and on. He retired from the sport in 1988, playing for 3 decades.

As you can imagine ... the tributes are absolutely pouring in right now. Bill Russell was beloved by just about everyone in and around the league ... players, coaches, owners and media members alike. He would come to games quite often, and was very visible in the basketball community.

Arrangements for his memorial and funeral are being made now by the family. Bill is survived by his wife, three children and other extended family. He was 88.

Popular Louisiana rapper JayDaYoungan was fatally ambushed by 5 gunmen ... according to his father, who was there when his son was gunned down.

The slain rapper's dad, Kenyatta Scott, tells TMZ ... he and JayDaYoungan were sitting in the front yard of their Louisiana home Wednesday evening when a black truck pulled up and 3 people hopped out with guns.

Scott says he and his son tried running inside the house, but 2 more people with guns approached from the side of the property ... and then shots rang out.

JDY's father says he was armed too and shot back to defend himself and his son. Scott was shot twice in the arm, while JayDaYoungan was struck at least 8 times. Scott remains in the hospital.

TMZ broke the story ... JDY lost a lot of blood in the shooting and underwent surgery, but died in the hospital.

The rapper's dad believes his son's murder was the result of jealousy ... that he made it out of Bogalusa ... he thinks whoever was behind the shooting was envious of JDY's success.

Scott says his son didn't have beef with anyone, and he doesn't think it was gang-related. He does not think JDY knew the gunmen.

Bogalusa Police Chief Kendall Bullen tells TMZ ... cops are looking at all possibilities for a motive, including gangs and/or retaliation.

For some reason, cops think there was only one shooter ... police have not ID'd the suspect or made any arrests.

Jennifer Lopez has bounced from honeymoon to freedom fighter, headlining a UNICEF concert to help in the Ukrainian relief effort.

J Lo took the stage at a 14th-century monastery in Capri, and she looked pretty incredible in a zebra-print getup with feathers and glitz. And this is a shocker ... she showed off her abs, which is always a gift!

Jen wasn't done ... the next outfit was a nude thong bodysuit ... again, pretty incredible.

JLo was the headliner, following Diplo, Sofia Carson and DJ Cruz.

There were tons of celebs on hand ... Leo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, Jamie Foxx, Jared Leto, Vanessa Hudgens and Maye Musk. Jennifer's bro-in-law, Casey Affleck, was also there with his gf Caylee Cowan.

Chris Rock made a joke of that slap during his stand-up show, but was mum on Will Smith's apology.

Chris took the stage in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre this weekend ... his first appearance since Will's apology, and his jokes were on point.

He kinda brilliantly took a big issue in our country and weaved it into Oscar's greatest hit ... "Everybody is trying to be a f---ing victim. If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith -- I went to work the next day, I got kids."

Chris wasn't done ... "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face!"

As you know, Will apologized to Chris during his video apology, saying Chris wasn't ready to have a chit-chat with him. As we reported, our Chris Rock sources told us -- pre-Will Smith vid -- Chris was not going to talk to Will or accept his apology. We don't know if the video softened his position, but based on what we've been hearing ... Chris has moved on.

One of the Ying Yang Twins collapsed at a concert over the weekend, and had to be carried off the stage.

The Twins were performing at a show in Springfield, MO at the Ozark Empire Fair, when 30 minutes into their set, D-Roc just crashed to the floor of the stage. Security rushed up to him and got him off the stage ... presumably for help.

The Ying Yang Twins were special guests at the concert, headlined by Vanilla Ice.

It's unclear what happened to him ... temps were in the 80s so it doesn't seem like heat exhaustion. We don't know if he was taken to the hospital nor do we know his condition.

Billy Porter thinks the Supreme Court is going to strike down gay marriage just like abortion rights ... but he's got a feeling SCOTUS might stop short at Justice Clarence Thomas' interracial marriage.

We got Billy in NYC and asked how likely he thinks it is SCOTUS will keep rolling back the clock, and he believes nothing is safe when it comes to the highest court in the land.

Billy says SCOTUS is coming for pretty much everything and everybody, not just gays ... and the only thing not on the list is interracial marriage, for one specific reason.

BP's basically saying the fact Justice Thomas is married to a white woman, Ginni Thomas, is the only thing keeping interracial marriage from going the way of the dodo. Still, Billy's got a warning for Clarence.

We also asked Billy about GOP Congressman Glenn Thompson, who voted against protecting same-sex marriage ... then turned around and attended his gay son's wedding.

Jake Paul's boxing match against Hasim Rahman Jr. has been canceled, according to the Problem Child's boxing promotion, after the 12-1 fighter allegedly failed to meet contractual obligations tied to his weight.

Paul vs. Rahman Jr. was set to go down August 6 at Madison Square Garden in NYC ... but just one week before the highly anticipated scrap, Most Valuable Promotions announced the fight was off.

It all has to do with the weight of Hasim, who previously fought at heavyweight, weighing more than 260 pounds. For the fight with Jake, Rahman Jr. agreed to weigh a maximum of 200 pounds at weigh-ins, the day before the fight.

However, MPV says Rahman Jr. was obligated to show the NY state athletic commission officials he was losing weight in the lead-up to the fight, in an effort to prevent a big weight cut in an attempt to make 200 pounds.

Unfortunately, MVP says Hasim had lost less than one pound since signing the contract for the fight more than 3 weeks ago.

Due to this development, the athletic commission dictated the fight would be fought at 205 pounds instead. Paul -- who weighed in at 190 pounds for his second fight with Woodley -- says he agreed to the change.

But, MVP claims Rahman Jr. then demanded the match be fought at 215 pounds ... a huge jump from the originally agreed upon 200 pounds.

That's where Jake drew the line ... and that's why MVP says the fight isn't happening.

"MVP and Jake Paul will not reward someone that has conducted themselves in such a deceiving and calculated manner. Therefore, MVP is left no choice but to cancel the August 6th event. This forced outcome impacts Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano and every other fighter on this card who have trained tirelessly over the past few months for this event," a statement released by the promotion said.

A few weeks ago we talked to Rahman Jr. ... and he seemed to take issue with the weight cut.

Jake responded to the cancelation, saying ... "First Tommy Fumbled and now Hasim Rahman Crumbled. These boxers are the most difficult people to work with and continually lack professionalism and confidence to fight me."

"I apologize to all of the other fighters on the card, our partners, our team and the fans."

Of course, Hasim wasn't Jake's original opponent. That was supposed to be Tommy Fury ... but Tyson's bro pulled out over issues traveling to the U.S.

Ric Flair is preparing for his final wrestling match the only way the Nature Boy would -- by training his ass off and drinking every night leading up to it.

73-year-old Flair is slated to wrestle for the very last time (and first in-ring bout since 2011) on Sunday in Nashville ... teaming up with his son-in-law, Andrade El Idolo, and fighting Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.

We spoke with Naitch leading up to the fight ... and he says he's faced plenty of challenges in training, but he never thought once about postponing or backing out.

Flair says he recently thought he had pneumonia or COVID-19 and dealt with plantar fasciitis ... but now, he's "good to go."

"I would never postpone it," Flair tells TMZ Sports. "They'd have to kill me for that. So many people have contributed their time and effort to make this happen. I just wanted to be at 100% of what I can be now."

Flair has dealt with numerous issues in the past -- he previously said it's a "miracle" he's alive after several serious health scares -- but he tells us he's beating all odds and training like a madman leading up to the match ... even doing 500 squats a day and crushing it on the stationary bike, despite having a pacemaker.

Ric says he's getting his heart rate much higher than he's expected to, and he's also drinking his fair share of adult beverages to make sure he's his true self.

"I guaranteed you that I'll be drinking every night," Flair told us. "I don't do good when I don't drink."

Flair says it'll be an emotional night to say the least ... and his whole family will be there to watch him perform.

As for whether he's guaranteeing a win, Flair's got a great perspective on the potential outcome.

This week's Summer Hot Shots comes from the lacy looks of Aussie model Luci Fang after she slipped into some white-hot lingerie and sipped some vino while hanging around the house in Sydney.

When this influencer and entrepreneur isn't blessing her Instagram and TikTok followers with her latest and greatest sexy shots ... Luci loves to make music on the piano and flute, enjoy the outdoors while golfing or skiing ... but most of all loves a good dad joke!

What's a vampire's favorite hottie? ... FANG!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2022 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

TikTokers Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo's Bell Canyon home has been listed for sale ... and it's got quite the price tag for whoever wants to pick up what the influencer couple once called home.

Tucked away in the hills near Calabasas, Nicky and Pierre's $2.25M house has great views of the canyon during the day and city lights at night ... the building's got floor-to-ceiling windows to take it all in.

The 4.4K square foot pad comes with a 3-car garage, a temperature-controlled wine room and an elevator to bring you to any floor in the house -- whether you're unable to go upstairs or just don't feel like making the climb.

The outside's got the obligatory pool with several patio areas nearby for some tanning and R&R.

The surrounding area's got a ton of stuff to do as well -- it has a park, tennis courts, hiking trails and spots for horseback riding.

It's quite the place for a TikTok couple ... for those unaware, Nicky and Pierre have a combined follower count of over 24M on the platform, jumping on all sorts of viral trends, challenges and dances.

Rebekah Schwartz of The Agency holds the listing.

Underneath this spiked-out man is an American actor who started his career by double-dipping in the ultimate childhood TV networks: Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel. Even though he was just getting his feet wet in the industry, his role in "Hannah Montana" served him quite well and propelled him into landing a main role on a hit show alongside Jamie Lynn Spears.

Taylor Swift is getting torn up after everyone learned her private jet has been getting used A LOT, but one fan tried deflecting the outrage ... by posting an apparent false claim.

A self-described Swiftie threw up a couple tweets Friday that got a ton of traction online ... this as the backlash against TayTay continues to mount amid news that her jet has been dumping CO2 emissions all over the place for several months now ... just the latest celeb to be called out for what many label a massive carbon footprint being left on the environment.

The woman -- who goes by Britt, with the handle @taysrep89, and devotes a majority of her feed to singing TS's praises -- wrote, "TAYLOR SWIFT JUST OFFERED TO DONATE 10K TO MY ENVIRONMENT ORGANIZATION?? THIS IS BIGGER THAN ALL OUR DONATIONS FROM THE PAST 3 MONTHS THANK YOU SO MUCH @taylorswift13."

BTW, Britt claims she's the head of an environmental charity of some sort called the National Environmental Protection Agency -- which, as far as we can tell, doesn't exist. The EPA sure does, but there aren't a lot of legitimate hits with the word "National" at the front.

In any case, the woman doubled down on her claim that Taylor had sent her/her supposed org $10,000 ... not just showing a screenshot of what appears to be a DM from the singer ... but going on to post more interactions that seemingly show the convo continuing.

This gal said, yes, this is real ... but her tweets since suggest the whole thing's a hoax. Tweets she posted Saturday allude to some sort of lie, and how she can't be held accountable. And, if you dig through her replies, you'll see people acting shocked to learn this was all a prank ... with this woman apparently confirming that, albeit sorta cryptically.

If you look at her responses and tweets from today, you'll see she apparently doesn't mind if folks are calling her out for putting forth a false narrative about Taylor ... because this fan thinks she's actually doing Taylor a huge favor by playing crisis PR manager on her behalf.

Dave Chappelle was letting it rip this weekend -- smoking and singing songs next to Snoop Dogg up in Northern California ... and the guy's wife was in on the fun as well!

The comedian was on hand Friday night at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa Valley, where he took the stage next to SD to not just tell jokes and talk ... but to actually flex his pipes a bit. Indeed, they were rapping and crooning together -- and it's pretty funny.

Of course, Dave was also kind of in scavenger mode -- smoking what appeared to be a blunt with Snoop -- and the Doggfather actually comments on it at the end of the clip.

Essentially, Snoop says Dave was transforming into himself right before his eyes the more weed he took in -- and he goes on to explain that's why he doesn't like toke up with that many people ... otherwise, there'd be a crap ton of Snoop Doggs running around. 😆

BTW, DC's wife, Elaine, was also there during the festivities ... and it looks like she was having a ball alongside her hubby. There's photos of the two of them hugging up on each other, but this shot here kinda captures the vibe of the night in full.

President Biden has contracted COVID-19 again -- this after several days of testing negative for the virus and seemingly entering the recovery lane, with any illness in the rearview.

JB announced he'd tested positive once more on Saturday, taking to Twitter to write ... "Folks, today I tested positive for COVID again. This happens with a small minority of folks. I’ve got no symptoms but I am going to isolate for the safety of everyone around me. I’m still at work, and will be back on the road soon."

His White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, supplemented the news with a bit more information and context, publishing a letter that further described Biden's renewed case.

Dr. O'Connor described this as a "rebound" effect, something he says happens with a small percentage of people who catch COVID and are treated with something called PAXLOVID -- which seems to be a medication POTUS was given to help combat the virus and symptoms.

His letter goes on to say Biden tested negative on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday -- but despite this, an antigen test administered on Saturday morning proved to be positive. The doc notes, "The President has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well."

It continues, "This being the case, there is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time, but we will obviously continue close observation." Even though he won't go on any more meds for COVID, Biden will re-enter isolation procedures out of precaution, just like before.

Earlier this week, he made his official return to work and did a public appearance in the Rose Garden. He'd also told the press he was "feeling great" and was ready to get back to it.