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Actor Michael Gambon -- best known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in the 'Harry Potter' films -- has died from pneumonia.

In a statement released Thursday, Gambon's publicist said he passed away peacefully in a hospital surrounded by his wife Anne and son Fergus.

The rep also said Gambon's family is "devastated" and requested privacy "at this painful time."

The esteemed Hollywood actor was cast in his most memorable role as Dumbledore in 6 out of the 8 'Harry Potter' films after the death of his predecessor, Richard Harris, in 2002.

Gambon also starred in dozens of other movies, including "Gosford Park," "The King's Speech" and the animated family flick "Paddington." His work spanned TV, theater and radio, as well.

Gambon was 82.

Donald Trump was compared to Donald Duck for "ducking" Wednesday night's GOP presidential debate -- and the diss came from his former friend turned Republican rival Chris Christie.

Christie came out swinging against the 45th President shortly after the first commercial break during the second GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

In a dramatic moment, the ex-New Jersey governor stared into the camera and addressed Trump directly, saying, "Donald, I know you’re watching, you can’t help yourself."

Christie continued, "You’re not here tonight, not because of polls, and not because of your indictments. You’re not here tonight because you’re afraid of being on the stage and defending your record."

He went on, "You’re ducking these things, and let me tell you what’s going to happen. You keep doing that, and no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore."

Then Christie delivered the punchline ... "We’re going to call you Donald Duck!”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also had some choice words for Trump and current President Joe Biden, claiming he's "completely missing in action from leadership."

As for Trump, DeSantis blasted the former Prez for skipping out on his second GOP debate, saying he owes it to the American people to defend his record.

DeSantis then blamed Trump for high inflation in the country because of the $7.8 trillion in debt he added to the economy while he was in office.

Five other GOP candidates were also on the debate stage last night ... North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. But none of them slammed Trump -- who's leading heavily in the polls -- the way Christie and DeSantis did.

Charlie Puth is picking up the street performer who was left to pick up his piano when a woman smashed it to the ground ... offering words of encouragement and a special invite.

The "We Don't Talk Anymore" singer reached out to Andrew Hsu, the Georgia street performer from a recent viral video, messaging him over the incident.

TMZ obtained the DMs Charlie and Andrew exchanged ... with Charlie telling Andrew, "I'm sorry that bull s*** happened to you ... Don't let it ever discourage you from performing, I know it won't ... But that video just upset me so much. You're a wonderful player and I wish you nothing but success and constant musical inspiration."

Andrew thanks Charlie for the kind words, tells him he's not going to give up performing, shares how he went to Charlie's show in Georgia and says he hopes to meet him and Billy Joel.

As we reported ... video shows Andrew playing Billy's anthem, "Piano Man," in Athens, GA when a rude woman comes up and smashes his piano to the ground. Andrew also accused her of stealing from his tip jar, and she eventually apologized after tons of backlash.

Charlie says he can't really set Andrew up with Billy, who apparently doesn't have a cell phone, but he says he would love for Andrew to come to one of his future shows.

Andrew tells TMZ ... since the video went viral, tons of folks requested to donate to a new piano ... and he put his Venmo on social media and got $2,000 in just two days, earmarking the money for a new keyboard and keyboard stand.

So, it seems like this story has a happy ending for Athens' piano man.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are clearly two people comfortable with each other ... as Taylor draped her arm around the NFL stud's neck following his big team win Sunday.

Check out the pic, obtained by TMZ, showing Taylor very casually hanging on Travis as they spoke to Kelce's friends at a private party at Prime Social in Kansas City, Missouri.

Travis appears to be looking down, while Taylor engages in some conversation standing next to him.

As you can see, they were they were very comfortable holding court with TC's inner circle.

Travis reportedly rented out the rooftop restaurant/bar -- which is one of KC's trendiest spots -- to keep the party going with close friends, family and Chiefs teammates.

As we first told you, Travis and Taylor's first rendezvous didn't come Sunday at the game ... our sources say they've actually hung out several times, just in more intimate settings.

The photo marks the first time we've seen the two together outside of Arrowhead Stadium. Remember, Travis and Taylor walked out of the locker room area together Sunday and into his waiting convertible to leave Sunday's big win for the KC Chiefs.

Taylor's yet to say anything publicly about her situation with Kelce, but Travis spilled a bit Wednesday on his podcast "New Heights" ... calling T. Swift "pretty ballsy" for showing up to the game and hanging with his mom.

Lucky for Taylor, Travis caught a touchdown during the matchup -- something he does often -- but this one felt a little more special.

Bam Margera got some fresh, new ink while on the road to recovery, and this piece pays homage to Britney Spears ... someone with whom he says he has alarming similarities.

The former "Jackass" star hit up First Hand Tattoo in Pennsylvania and got the Brit-inspired tattoo, which reads, "Britney Spears ❤️ Oops they did it to me too!"

He says the meaning behind it is all about the "Florida shuffle" -- a phrase used to describe substance abusers with good health insurance in the Sunshine State. They're constantly sent to various rehab centers which repeatedly charge their insurance.

Bam says that describes him to a T, and points to Britney's time in her conservatorship as being painfully similar to what's been going down with him -- he's dragging his interventionalist for allegedly cashing in by keeping Bam in rehab.

Bam says he's done "the Guinness book of world records of longest Florida shuffle of nearly 2 years" ... which includes 10 back-to-back rehab stays that cost a total of $660,000.00.

He adds he's sick of the "controlling c***suckers that act like they care for your well-being when it's all about money."

BTW, this isn't the first time he's compared himself to Britney -- he called himself "the Britney Spears of 'Jackass'" while working on standup material with Steve-O earlier this year.

As we reported, Bam recently celebrated being 1 month sober after going in and out of rehab this year, and sources told us he's been spending his time with his girlfriend, Dannii, on a farm outside Philadelphia.

Canelo Alvarez, days away from a historic boxing match against one of the best fighters in the world, has a message for anyone who thinks he's on the decline ... he's STILL the baddest man in the world and Jermell Charlo's going to find out Saturday in Las Vegas!

As you know (hey, it's a seriously big event!), 33-year-old Alvarez is taking on 33-year-old Charlo on Showtime PPV -- pitting two of the world's best against one another -- in a history-making scrap, and TMZ Sports is on the ground in Sin City.

See, it's the first time in the four-belt era that two reigning, undisputed world champions will step in the ring together and slug it out.

FYI, Canelo is the super middleweight (168 lbs.) champ ... the weight class where the bout will go down. Jermell, though taller and with a longer reach, typically fights at a lighter weight, junior middleweight (154 lbs.), where he's the active G.O.A.T.

Both superstars hold the WBO, IBF, WBA, and WBC belts in their respective divisions.

Of course, Alvarez -- the biggest star in the sport and one of the most famous athletes on the planet -- has been a pro for almost two decades, and some people have actually suggested he's lost a step.

We asked Canelo what he'd say to those detractors.

"I feel fresh. I feel in my prime," Alvarez told us without hesitation before revealing he actually fought hurt during his scrap against John Ryder in May.

"I had a little injury on my hand [that was] slowing me down a little bit, but you will see Saturday night," Canelo said.

If Alvarez is victorious, as he clearly believes he will be, he'll become the first fighter in the four-belt era to successfully defend the straps three consecutive times.

But, Canelo isn't the only one with some skin in the game. If Charlo can win going up two divisions, he'll join a pretty legendary group of guys ... Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roy Jones Jr.

How's that for company?! 😅

Alvarez vs. Charlo is just the latest massive fight to be made this year -- all delivered by Showtime Boxing -- joining super fights like Gervonta "Tank" Davis vs. Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence.

There are just three days until the superstar champs -- coming in with eight belts and 94 wins combined -- square off in the squared circle with history on the line.

Don't miss it ... pre-order the event on Showtime PPV!

American actor and singer Cody Linley was 16 years old when he first started playing the role of Jake Ryan -- the famous actor who is a heartthrob to all the girls and one of Miley's love interests -- on Disney's "Hannah Montana" back in 2006.

Cody was cast alongside Miley Cyrus, who was living a double-life as Miley the teenage girl and also the teenage popstar, Hannah Montana, Emily Osment as Hannah's silly best friend and skateboarding aficionado, Lilly and Jason Earles as Miley's older brother who loves to give her a hard time, Jackson.

Taylor Swift is really digging Travis Kelce ... because she's expected back at his next NFL game.

Sources confirm to TMZ … as of now, Taylor is expected to attend Sunday's game between Travis' Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

We're told Taylor's team is still working out security logistics with MetLife Stadium, where she played a huge concert earlier this summer on her "Eras" tour.

Taylor would be going back for seconds ... she went to the Chiefs game last Sunday, watching Travis score a touchdown from a private suite with his family. It was the first time she went to one of his games since they started hanging out, and the first time she met his parents.

The NFL schedule is lining up perfectly for Taylor and Travis ... his team is playing on the road against the Jets, across the river from New York City ... where Taylor owns a place.

TMZ broke the story ... Taylor and Travis got super cozy with one another after last Sunday's game, she was draping her arm around his neck while they chatted at the private party he set up.

As we first reported ... the singer and NFL stud have hung out several times before, but in more intimate settings than a football stadium.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner continue to duke it out in court over custody of their two young daughters -- but that's not stopping either from spending some quality time with their girls -- as evidenced by Joe out in NYC.

Joe loaded 3-year-old Willa into a waiting SUV Wednesday in The Big Apple, we're told the two were headed out to a birthday party, though it's unclear who was celebrating. No sign of Joe and Sophie's 1-year-old, Delphine, but it's possible she was with Mom.

It's the first time we've Joe out solo with either of the kids since Sophie sued him over custody. In her documents, Sophie claimed Joe was refusing to allow her to take the girls to the UK, despite a prior agreement, and he allegedly hid their passports.

Joe argued he was only doing what was ordered by a judge, and stated the kids could not be relocated in the middle of the divorce proceedings.

TMZ broke the story, the judge eventually ruled with Joe, stating neither parent could take Willa or Delphine out of the greater NYC area.

Brittany Renner just opened up about her sex life to Shannon Sharpe in a big way ... revealing she's slept with 35 men -- a number that stunned the Pro Football Hall of Famer so much, he had to take a big swig of booze.

The "Basketball Wives" star made the remark while chatting with Sharpe on his "Club Shay Shay" podcast about Derek Jeter's dating life.

Renner said to Sharpe her roster of partners was very comparable to the Yankees legend's ... and then she told the former Denver Broncos star her body count.

Sharpe then reacted as if he had seen a ghost ... nearly spitting up his water -- before shooting some booze.

"Oh, lord!" the ex-NFLer said. "Anybody else need a shot of this?! We are in a bar, so help yourself!"

Renner took the intimate conversation even further moments later ... telling Sharpe she once caught a yeast infection after having sex with three men within 24 hours.

The deep convo didn't just stop there, though ... 'cause the two then dove into her relationship with her ex, NBA player P.J. Washington.

Renner explained she had been on birth control for a decade prior to getting with the Charlotte Hornets forward ... but she decided to go off of it to have a child with Washington because she thought he "was my guy."

"I thought I was doin' it right," she said.

Renner went on to say she's cool with Washington despite their split ... lauding his recent engagement to Alisah Chanel.

"I've sat down with his fiancée," Renner said. "We've had a four-hour conversation out for brunch."

4:45 PM PT -- Bill Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, tells TMZ … “No comment at this present time because this is utterly ridiculous and pointless.”

Bill Cosby is being sued by one of his accusers for an alleged sexual assault ... one she claims happened over 50 years ago.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Cosby accuser Donna Motsinger claims he took advantage of her way back in 1972, when she was working as a server at the famous Trident restaurant in Sausalito, CA.

Motsinger says she met Cosby at the bayside restaurant, then a celeb hangout, claiming he came by constantly just to see her, ultimately inviting her to accompany him to his show at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos.

In the docs, Motsinger says Cosby picked her up in a limo and gave her a glass of wine on the drive over. She claims he took her to the dressing room, where she began to feel sick and says Cosby gave her what she believed was an aspirin.

Motsinger says she took the pill and started falling in and out of consciousness. She claims Cosby's handlers but her back in the limo with him and the last thing she remembers was flashes of light.

In her suit, Motsinger claims she woke up in her house wearing only her panties and says she "knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby."

Motsinger says she's suffered mental, physical and emotional distress ... and she's going after Cosby for money.

She previously came forward in 2014 with similar accusations against Cosby ... and now she's followed up with a lawsuit.

We reached out to Cosby's camp ... so far no word back.

Lil Tay is back in the public eye for the first time in 5 years ... oddly covered up and staying quiet as she arrived in Los Angeles.

The former social media-flexer was bombarded with photogs at LAX Wednesday, covered in a hoodie, mask and sunglasses. Tay wasn't alone though, flanked by security, her mom, Angela, and brother, Jason.

This obviously marks a big milestone for Tay, who hasn't been seen since her virality came to an end in 2018. Paps sprayed her with questions, but she kept her lips sealed ... hopping into a ride without saying a word.

Tay teased her trip Tuesday night, posting a pic of her passport. She's from Canada, so it was almost certain she'd be going international ... and now we know the destination.

TMZ broke the story, Lil Tay was the subject of an alleged viral death hoax last month that was posted to her Instagram account. She told us her account was "compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me."

A post on her IG account Tuesday dragged her father, Christopher ... saying he was the one who faked her death, calling him an "ABUSIVE RACIST MISOGYNISTIC WOMAN BEATING FATHER."

Christopher told us the claims against him are bogus, and warned that the serious accusations could land whoever called him out in civil court.

Taylor Swift was already at the "meet the parents" stage of her relationship with Travis Kelce ... and it turns out she's getting cool with his buddies, too -- 'cause Patrick Mahomes just revealed he got to chop it up with the singer at the tight end's postgame party on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar was asked about Kelce's recent super VIP guest at Arrowhead Stadium after practice on Wednesday ... and while he initially said days ago he hadn't met Swift yet -- that has since changed following TK's shindig at Prime Social in K.C.

"Yeah, I met her," Mahomes told local reporters. "She's really cool, good people."

But Patrick wasn't super chatty about the subject ... echoing Kelce and saying he's going to keep it to talkin' football moving forward.

"But like Trav said, man, I'm going to let them have their privacy and just keep it moving," the two-time MVP added.

As we previously reported, Swift and Kelce -- who hung out a few times in intimate settings before Sunday's game -- were a bit closer at the postgame party ... with TS putting her arm around the four-time first-team All-Pro's neck.

Usher's upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show definitely has people feeling nostalgic already -- 'cause his music has been played like crazy in the days since the news broke.

The numbers are pretty staggering ... Billboard tells us Usher's tunes (new and old) have seen a significant spike across all streaming services since the announcement was made Sunday, and the increased plays are tipping into the millions.

Percentage-wise, we're told that boils down to about a 16% bump for Usher between Sunday and Monday ... with his most-streamed song being his new single, "Good Good," which is already on the Hot 100.

Billboard says "Good Good" was streamed 1.1 million times in this window, about a 5% gain. His classics like "Yeah!," "My Boo" and "DJ Got Us Fallin in Love" saw bumps as well -- amounting to an added 962k streams, 527k streams, and 525k streams, respectively.

When it comes to the individual streaming services, the increase is clear in their data too. Tidal, for example, tells us Usher's "Superstar" was the most popular song on their platform on the day of the announcement. They also say "You Make Me Wanna..." saw the biggest jump in streaming percentage from the day prior at 55%.

Another music streaming company that felt the Usher effect was Amazon ... they tell us "Yeah!" climbed a whopping 140% in plays compared to the day before the announcement. As a result, we're told it jumped 149 spots in their internal popular song rankings list.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann are about to get under each other's skin under the same roof all over again -- 'cause she's on her way back to Georgia -- after some nasty new developments in their divorce.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kim is flying back to Atlanta Wednesday after filming for MTV's "The Surreal Life" in Colombia over the past couple weeks. We're told she's in the air now, and, within hours, is set to be back home with Kroy and their kids.

Despite this tumultuous sitch, our sources say that the plan -- for now, anyway -- is for Kim and Kroy to continue cohabiting ... as neither one of them really has anywhere else to go at this point. However, considering everything that's gone on of late in their divorce case ... you can imagine the stage is set for fireworks.

Remember, Kroy has openly acknowledged they're in dire straits financially.

As we've reported .... Kroy has been consistently appealing to a judge lately, begging for permission to sell their mansion so they can start paying off some major debts. He's also argued that the money will help them get their own pad ... and resolve a toxic environment.

We're also told that Kim and Kroy could very well bang again ... at least that's how people close to them feel. Of course, whether they actually do it again is still up in the air.

Kim, for her part, has been insisting everything's fine between her and Kroy -- she even asked for their divorce to be dismissed, noting they'd had sex recently ... and arguing that it proves their relationship is still on. Kroy's brushed that aside and plans to move forward.

Kevin James is looking to cash in on his new internet meme fame ... by using the viral image to promote his standup comedy act.

The actor and comedian posted "The King of Queens" meme on his social media Wednesday, much to the internet's delight ... using it to plug his new tour.

You've probably seen the meme pop up on your feed recently ... an old promotional headshot Kevin did for his TV sitcom 'King of Queens' back in the '90s, where he shrugs with both hands in his pockets and displays a sheepish grin.

Folks have been using the old pic to make tons of hilarious memes ... and the show's stars are taking notice. Leah Remini says she "absolutely loves" all the memes, and now Kevin's piggybacking.

In his post, Kevin says he's gearing up for his new "Double Hands In The Pocket" tour ... which he says is "sheepishly coming to a city near you."