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Bert Belasco -- famous from BET's "Let's Stay Together" -- died suddenly after suffering an aortic aneurysm that likely stemmed from high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

According to his death certificate ... Bert's immediate cause of death is listed as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. That's medical speak for high blood pressure and hardening and narrowing of the arteries that restricts blood flow.

However, his family says the coroner told them it was an aortic aneurysm -- a bulge in the artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso -- that killed him.

Bert's death certificate says he'll be cremated.

As you know ... Dr. Dre is currently in ICU after suffering an aneurysm a week ago. His was a brain aneurysm and he was much luckier than Bert, because half the people who suffer a brain aneurysm do not survive, and the mortality rate is even higher with cardiovascular aneurysms.

TMZ broke the story ... Bert's father, Bert Sr., told us his son's body was found back in November in a hotel room in Richmond, VA. He was there to start on a project for a new movie. Bert's GF couldn't get a hold of him and she eventually asked hotel staff to check on him.

There's also this ... Bert's alma mater, Southern Illinois University, plans to launch The Bert Belasco Scholarship and Award Fund and The Bert Belasco Theater Award, which will be awarded to an incoming African-American or minority student and a graduating student actor, respectively.

The Browns are 9.5 point underdogs to the Chiefs, and almost no one believes they’ll dethrone the defending champs (lookin’ at you Chase Claypool) ... that is, except NFL legend Joe Thomas.

The 10x Pro Bowler tells TMZ Sports Cleveland will not only beat Kansas City ... but they’ll advance to the Super Bowl this season.

Of course, Cleveland's no stranger to playing the underdog.

Vegas had them on the wrong side of a 5.5 point spread on Sunday ... before the team thoroughly whooped the Steelers, ending their season.

So sure, Thomas might be a little biased ... but he wholeheartedly believes the Browns will take down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs when they face-off this weekend.

“I think it’s gonna be a close game,” Joe says.

“The Chiefs have played a close game just about, well I think a one-score game every game the last half of the season, and I think with the Browns rushing attack and the way Baker Mayfield is playing with that killer mentality, I like the Browns in this one.”

FYI, the Chiefs -- a year after winning the Lombardi trophy -- finished the season with the NFL's best record, 14-2.

Bottom line ... Thomas is adamant the lovable loser Browns are long gone -- and this is a team to be reckoned with.

“This is the revival and the resuscitation of the Cleveland Browns franchise. For 17 years, to not go to the playoffs, for a lot longer than that not having won a playoff game and to be able to come back, get that monkey off your back, go to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers, your hated rival, in a game that nobody gave you a chance in."

"I think it really is the turning of the tides for the Browns franchise and I think it’s a little bit of the turning of tides in the AFC North as well.”

East Coast actor George James is best known for playing Jake in the wind-powered boarding house filled with wacky puppets and good vibes on the iconic '80s children's television show "Pinwheel."

While George James shared the small screen with some plush puppets including Aurelia, Plus and Minus, Ebenezer T. Squint, Molly O'Mole, Luigi O'Brien and many more ... he also was cast alongside other actors like Lindanell Rivera and C.C. Loveheart as the mime, Coco ... and of course Dale Engel and Betty Rozek as Smitty and Sal.

James went on to act on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka."

Bill Belichick has just rejected Donald Trump ... the Patriots head coach says he will NOT accept POTUS' Presidential Medal of Freedom -- and it's all because of the riots at the U.S. Capitol.

The NFL coaching legend made the announcement Monday evening ... saying he was initially "flattered" to be offered the award -- but decided to ultimately turn it down after pro-Trump protesters ransacked D.C. last week.

"Recently, I was offered the opportunity to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents and admiration for prior recipients," Belichick said.

"Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award."

Belichick continued, "Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation's values, freedom and democracy."

Several notable sports figures and athletes have received the award recently ... with everyone from Tiger Woods to Lou Holtz to Gary Player picking up the medal at Trump's White House.

FYI -- the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor ... with the White House explaining the award is given to those "who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

Belichick and Trump have had an outstanding relationship over the years ... in fact, in 2018, Trump appointed the New England legend to his Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

Of course, Belichick also famously wrote Trump a congratulatory letter -- which Donald read onstage at a major event -- right before the 2016 election.

In his statement rejecting the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday, Belichick added, "I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. One of the most rewarding things in my professional career took place in 2020 when, through the great leadership within our team, conversations about social justice, equality and human rights moved to the forefront and became actions."

Two Capitol Police officers are being temporarily relieved of duty after they were caught getting super chummy with rioters who stormed the building.

Rep. Tim Ryan made the announcement Monday, saying at least 2 cops who were on duty last Wednesday have been suspended for actions documented during the siege. Of the 2 -- who have yet to be identified -- one was apparently wearing a MAGA hat and directing insurrectionists on Capitol grounds ... the other took selfies with these folks.

The latter appears to have been captured on video ... a viral clip from that day has surfaced, and it shows a Capitol officer in a yellow vest and a black cap pausing to pose for a photo with one of the insurrectionists.

During a presser Monday, Rep. Ryan reportedly said Capitol Police are looking at everybody at this point ... including men and women in their own ranks.

As we first reported, the FBI believes there are signs of an inside job, and is investigating whether Capitol PD officers or civilian employees in the Capitol aided the rioters in any way.

TMZ also broke the story ... there could've been 4 times as many cops on hand Wednesday, and there probably should've been, considering the looming threats of violence ahead of the siege.

For the first time in more than 8,000 episodes, someone other than Alex Trebek is hosting "Jeopardy!" ... so the new guy made sure to pay a fitting tribute to the late TV legend.

Ken Jennings kicked off his stint as interim host of the famous game show by honoring the man who made it famous ... saying Alex was pretty much perfect at what he did for more than 36 years.

Jennings pointed to Trebek's intelligence, charm and grace as reasons why he will never be replaced ... but told the audience the best way to honor him is "by playing the game he loved."

Jennings will be hosting throughout January to help the show out while it looks for a permanent replacement. Ken's obviously known as the greatest "Jeopardy!" contestant of all time, but when it comes to his hosting chops ... he's previously made it clear, "There will only ever be one Alex Trebek."

"Jeopardy!" paid its final respects to the beloved host last week with a 90-second video tribute thanking him for his 37 seasons of service, since he began the gig in 1984. The highlight montage played during the airing of the last episode Trebek taped.

In Trebek's heartbreaking final sign-off, he thanked viewers for watching and said he'd see them again next week. Sadly, Alex died 10 days later without filming another episode.

The State Department appears to be cutting short President Trump's time in office -- its official site briefly said he's out as POTUS starting Monday night.

On Trump's official page, the U.S. DOS had the following listed under his bio in bold, "Donald J. Trump's term ended on 2021-01-11 19:40:41." Some folks have said the time stamp changed by at least 15 minutes -- but it's less about the time and more about that date.

The message which appeared to be breaking some huge news ... vanished early in the afternoon Monday. It's unclear how long it was there before someone, presumable at the State Dept., removed it.

The bizarre message extended to Mike Pence as well ... his State Dept. page also said his term ended on Monday night, and also has since been removed -- but there's been no official word from the White House either confirming or denying this is true.

There are reports this was all a prank pulled off by a disgruntled State Dept. staffer. Still, it's drawing a lot of attention, especially because there's reportedly a lot of helicopter activity over Pence's residence.

If it's just a federal employee gone rogue ... it speaks to the temperature in D.C. right now. Think about it, for someone to risk their job (and perhaps worse) to make this statement ... might indicate they felt they could get away with it because Trump's lost so many allies in the nation's capital.

Of course, assuming it isn't real ... Trump still has possible impeachment to worry about -- Speaker Pelosi is said to be introducing articles this week.

Mark Cuban is sinking more than half a mil into a fantasy football trophies company called TrophySmack, and one of TMZ's former staffers is reaping the benefits!

Dax Holt was back with us for "TMZ Live" Monday to explain how he and his TrophySmack partner, Matt Walsh, managed to hook Cuban on the most recent episode of "Shark Tank."

He tells us the trophy market was coming up short in terms of creative trophies to satisfy the smack-talking demands of modern-day fantasy football fans ... so they stepped up.

Dax and Matt decided to go on "Shark Tank" in hopes of landing enough financial backing to expand beyond fantasy sports ... and ol' frosty tips (as he was known on "TMZ on TV") says they caught the perfect fish.

Cuban didn't make it easy on them -- putting all the pressure on the TrophySmack founders to make a VERY quick decision on his offer to invest. From Dax's perspective ... it wasn't too hard of a call to opt for Mark and his $600k investment.

As for the fact, they were backed into dissing Lori Greiner ... Dax says that's more on Cuban than them.

Capitol PD's outgoing Chief is calling out House and Senate security officials ... claiming they turned a deaf ear to his requests for backup in the days before the attempted coup.

Steven Sund -- who was severely criticized, and resigned after the Capitol riot -- is naming names on his way out the door. He told the Washington Post he was concerned about President Trump's planned rally on January 6, and voiced those concerns to the Sergeants at Arms for the Senate and for the House of Representatives.

Sund says he asked them to approve putting National Guard troops on standby in the days leading up to the Trump protest -- but says he was rejected each time. The reason? Sund claims the Sergeants told him it would be bad "optics" to fortify the Capitol that way ahead of the election verification vote.

Worth noting, both Sgts at Arms have since resigned their posts, just as Sund did after Congressional leaders -- including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- criticized the police response to the insurrectionists.

Larry Rendell Brock -- the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who's one of the Capitol insurrectionists last week -- can thank his ex-wife for his arrest.

As we reported -- Brock was the guy photographed holding zip ties inside the Senate chamber and was pretty easy to ID as he was decked out in body armor, a military helmet and a tag with a Punisher skull ... but his former spouse provided further intel to law enforcement.

According to a federal affidavit ... Brock's ex-wife of 18 years called the FBI National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) on Friday to turn him in.

The woman told the feds she recognized him from his military getup, adding ... "I just know that when I saw this was happening I was afraid he would be there. I think you already know he was there. It is such a good picture of him and I recognize his patch."

The affidavit says a second witness also reported Brock to the FBI the same day, telling the authorities ... "It looks like him and he has pilot wings on his chest in this picture. He was an A-10 pilot. Worked at L3, and he still has contacts that work with L3 that knew he was flying to Washington DC."

Brock was arrested shortly afterward and is facing one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

As for why he did what he did, he says it's because "The President asked for his supporters to be there to attend, and I felt like it was important."

He has denied any nefarious intentions with the zip ties though, claiming he found them inside the Capitol and planned to return them to police.

Of course, another man was seen with zip ties, and coupled with explosives being found near the area of the attempted coup ... it sure seems like the riots could have been much worse.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman has tested positive for COVID-19, and she's squarely blaming fellow lawmakers who refused to wear masks while they were sheltering in place during the Capitol attack.

The Congresswoman from New Jersey announced her diagnosis Monday ... linking the positive test to last week's events that forced her to take refuge with other lawmakers in the Capitol Building. She tweeted, "Following the events of Wednesday, including sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, I decided to take a Covid test."

The 75-year-old lawmaker added, "I received a positive test result for COVID-19, and am home resting at this time. While I am experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, I remain in good spirits and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents.”

The lawmaker is now isolating and awaiting the results of PCR testing. Interestingly, Coleman is among a score of lawmakers who have already received the first dose of Pfizer's COVID vaccine.

Remember, members of congress had to shelter together in an undisclosed location after President Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol in the failed coup. There's video showing several Republican members refusing to wear masks being passed around by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester.

The news comes one day after the attending physician of the U.S. Congress said members and their staff may have been exposed as a result of the riots.

Dr. Brian Monahan sent a memo to all members of Congress to inform them that sheltering with other members in a room for a long period of time may have exposed them to the virus.

Miya Ponsetto is the symbol of white privilege, and her falsely accusing 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. of stealing her phone is a modern-day reflection of what happened to Emmett Till … according to the Black teenager's mother.

Kat Harrold sounded off on Ponsetto for her actions during and since the December 26 incident at the Arlo Hotel in NYC, specifically, Miya’s denial of racism being a factor … and using her ethnicity and her age as an apparent shield for being held accountable.

According to Kat ... Miya being Puerto Rican doesn’t mean she's not racist, and being 22 years old doesn’t mean she’s too young to be excused for it. She points out that Emmett Till was killed as a result of false allegations made by a white woman who was 21 … and Kat believes that racial injustice is reflected in her son’s case.

Kat says the proof is in how the hotel reacted to the situation when Miya accused her son of stealing her phone. She claims the Arlo defaulted to questioning the Black teenager but did NOT question Miya. Kat says the hotel immediately sided with her instead and calls this a clear example of white privilege.

As for the Arlo … attorney Ben Crump and Keyon’s parents are calling for a ban until the hotel condemns the individual racism allegedly shown by Ponsetto, and takes responsibility for the racial profiling they believe it demonstrated.

They lay a lot of the blame on the hotel manager for not de-escalating the situation, and accuse him of treating the Black teen like he was guilty from the jump … forcing him to prove he did nothing wrong. Even worse, they point out that Miya was not even a patron of the hotel … yet she was treated with more respect than Keyon and his father, Keyon Sr. -- who were actually staying there.

Their rallying cry -- "No more, Arlo!"

As we've reported ... Ponsetto was arrested last week in SoCal, flown back to NYC where she was charged with attempted assault, attempted robbery, grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a child for her altercation with the teenager.

However, Miya was NOT charged with a hate crime, and the prosecutor never even mentioned any racial components to the case in court Saturday. Keyon Jr.'s parents -- Keyon and Kat -- previously told us they believe the ordeal is reflective of racial injustices as a whole.

The NBA season is stumbling out of the gates ... with multiple games being postponed due to COVID-19.

The league has been hit hard with the virus over the past week ... as the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and more have been struggling to put enough men on the court due to the NBA's Health and Safety protocols.

Fresh off the Heat's matchup with the Celtics being postponed Sunday, the Association has now pushed back 2 more games -- Mavs vs. New Orleans Pelicans and Celtics vs. the Chicago Bulls.

Of course, the league requires an 8-man roster in order to compete ... and the Heat and Mavs have been unable to fit that requirement as they conduct contact tracing following positive or inconclusive tests within their organizations.

The Philadelphia 76ers have also dealt with COVID-related issues after Seth Curry tested positive last week.

Despite the mess, the league officials say they will NOT postpone the season ... as they anticipated some hiccups along the way.

Nancy Pelosi is clearly still dealing with the trauma of the deadly Capitol breach ... and also seems to be fed up talking about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Speaker Pelosi appeared on "60 Minutes" Sunday to talk about the deadly insurrection last week, and got emotional -- appearing to hold back tears -- as she blamed President Trump for what she calls a "terrible violation" of the legislative branch of the U.S. government.

Pelosi also got worked up -- in a much different way -- when Lesley Stahl asked her about AOC complaining she and other Democratic honchos are excluding the younger generation of representatives from leadership roles.

Her response is telling ... and Stahl clearly noticed.

As we've reported ... it seems some of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol had far worse intentions than just walking around and putting their feet up on desks -- like Richard Barnett did in Pelosi's office -- so it's understandable why she's shaken up and wants Trump to pay for it. As AOC herself said, the insurrectionists may well have murdered half the members of Congress if they had their way.

President-elect Joe Biden isn't the only one being ushered into the White House with pomp and circumstance ... his rescue dog, Major, is getting "indogurated."

Major, a German Shepherd, is getting honored by the Delaware shelter where the Bidens rescued him ... with a special inauguration of his own this Sunday on Zoom ... and the "indoguration" is raising money for other pups like Major.

The Bidens adopted Major from the Delaware Humane Association back in 2018, and now Major's set to become the first shelter dog in the White House ... hence the big virtual celebration.

Major's "indoguration" is being hosted by 'Today' show's Jill Martin, and folks can join the Zoom event with a $10 minimum donation, with all proceeds going to the DHA.

Sunday's event sounds like a fun time ... it's being hailed as "the world's largest virtual party for dogs."

Dr. Dre is still in intensive care, one week after he was rushed to the hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm, and doctors are still trying to figure out what happened.

Sources connected to Dre with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Dre's where he's been since last Monday -- in ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. Our sources say doctors continue to do a battery of tests to get to the root problem. Doctors also want him in ICU in case, God forbid, he suffers another aneurysm ... if that happens, time would be of the essence.

We don't know if Dre has gone into surgery, but that's usually the case to stop bleeding.

As for his current state ... the music legend is resting comfortably, and perhaps even more encouraging, our sources say docs have cautiously informed his family that a "bad outcome" doesn't appear to be on the horizon.

TMZ broke the story ... Dre suffered the aneurysm at his Pacific Palisades home Monday and was rushed by ambulance to Cedars.