Amanda Bynes I'm a Rapper Now!!! ... Drops New Track Teaser

Amanda Bynes is now in the rap game ... or so it seems, after she dropped a snippet of her new track.

The "She's the Man" star posted a new track on Instagram dubbed "Diamonds" ... in which she raps for around 12 seconds --- "Diamonds, Diamonds on my neck, on my wrist" and so on. The track is only the second thing she's posted to her 505k followers on Instagram.

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RAP DEBUT

She's also got a rapper by the name of Precise on the track. It's unclear when Amanda recorded the track or how serious she is about getting into the rap game, but back in June she rapped along to A$AP Rocky's "A$AP Forever."

As you know ... Amanda, who has been under conservatorship for the past 7 years, graduated from the prominent L.A. fashion school FIDM back in June 2019.

Donald Trump So Long, D.C. ... But I'll Be Back (One Day)!!!

I'LL BE BACK
C-SPAN
UPDATE

5:57 AM PT -- Donald Trump just made his last speech as President, and the key takeaway is ... he promises to return to the spotlight, somehow.

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DT and Melania both addressed the crowd at Joint Base Andrews -- the First Lady's remarks were very brief, but Trump took a little longer to reminisce. He touted what he considers his administration's greatest achievements -- including work they did for vets, stabilizing the economy (even amid a pandemic), fast-tracking the vaccine rollout, creating the Space Force and of course ... tax cuts.

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Trump says he can proudly say that he and his team "left it all on the field," adding that when they're all in Florida soon -- they won't have to look at each other and wonder, "what if?" He said he was proud of the job he'd done, explaining it'd been an honor to serve.

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Trump actually wished the Biden-Harris administration luck, saying they had the foundation to do something great. But, then came a more ominous note from DT ... he said that he WOULD be back in some form, basically promising that we hadn't seen the last of him.

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He told the crowd to "have a good life" ... and that they'd be seeing him soon. As he and Melania left the stage, the Village People's "YMCA" played for the last time as Trump said farewell to his family members and WH staff. They got onto AF1, and did a final wave.

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DOIN' IT MY WAY
C-SPAN
UPDATE

He also gave us one last reminder he's all about TV production with the picture perfect timing of AF1 going wheels up as "My Way" ended.

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And thus ... the Trump presidency comes to an end.

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5:33 AM PT -- One of Trump's faves is blaring at Joint Base Andrews ... "Gloria" is playing so loudly on the PA system, as Marine One lands, that reporters there are getting drowned out. The man does love his disco era tunes.

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He and Melania are addressing a crowd of about a couple hundred people gathered at the base.

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IT'S BEEN AN HONOR
AP

Donald Trump is departing the White House for the final time as President, en route to a send-off party he requested as he leaves behind a tumultuous legacy that will certainly be ... remembered.

DT is about to board the Marine One chopper early Wednesday morning on the South Lawn, where a few of White House staffers are standing by to say deuces to POTUS for good. He'll be on his way to Joint Base Andrews -- just outside of D.C., where he's putting on a farewell ceremony for himself.

Invites for the event were sent out to Trump's remaining allies, but details for what exactly is in store were hazy. The buzz has been 45's looking for a major military-style parade, before he boards Air Force One. We'll see if he gets it, and who shows up ... it's slated to begin at 8 AM ET.

One person who won't be attending for certain is his Vice President Mike Pence. He's said he will who be at Joe Biden's inauguration ... presumably representing the administration. This is the first time in over a century that an outgoing Prez has blown off the Inauguration Day transfer of power.

In any case, once his farewell gala is done, Trump's flying south for the winter -- and beyond -- to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

His decision to bolt outta D.C, at the crack of dawn isn't all that surprising considering the hot political (and possibly legal) water Trump's found himself in during these final weeks in office.

Of course, he's already been impeached for inciting the Jan. 6 riot and storming of the Capitol -- and could face a Senate trial.

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"SHOW STRENGTH AND BE STRONG"
Fox News

The Senate could convict him, and also vote to bar him from holding any federal office again -- due to his historic double impeachment -- which would upend any potential Presidential run, which he's suggested he might do.

Needless to say, this is most likely not the last we'll see of Trump ... impeachment aside, there's wide speculation he could face criminal charges for the riot, business dealings in NY state and even Hollywood punishment from the SAG-AFTRA union.

Plus, he's talked about possibly starting his own news network. We guess the only place you won't see him, as of now, is Twitter.

We suppose there's nothing left to say except, goodbye 45. Yes, his own catchphrase comes to mind too, but we'll spare you. 👋🏽.

Originally Published -- 4:55 AM PT

'Worst Cooks in America' Winner Ariel Robinson Charged with Homicide For 3-Year-Old Girl's Death

The winner of season 20 of "Worst Cooks in America" has been arrested for allegedly killing a toddler.

Ariel Robinson and her husband, Jerry Robinson, have been charged with homicide by child abuse in South Carolina, according to police, and are being held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond.

They're accused of inflicting multiple blunt force injuries on a 3-year-old girl named Victoria Rose Smith, resulting in her death.

Police say they responded to a call about an unresponsive juvenile victim last Thursday, and the child was pronounced dead after being transferred to the hospital.

Cops arrested the couple based on their investigation, which is ongoing.

Robinson was named the winner of the hit Food Network show in August, and said in subsequent interviews that she's a mother of 5. It's unclear if the child she's accused of killing is a family member or not.

Porn Star Claims Taco Bell Fired Her Over Past

Taco Bell employee Lonna Wells is out of a job after ticking off a co-worker, who filed a complaint about Lonna's past ... as a porn star, but Taco Bell claims that's not what happened.

Lonna claims the fast-food joint in Newport, Arkansas canned her less than a week after she landed the job. She'd reportedly started working at Taco Bell after she stopped doing porn so she'd avoid catching COVID-19.

Wells was no slouch in her previous job -- she's been featured on PornHub ... and scored two AVN Award nominations.

She told the Daily Beast she was about to clock into work when her manager called to drop the hammer. Wells is pissed because she says she told the hiring manager about her sex work during the interview and even asked if it was going to be a problem.

Taco Bell, however, claims Wells was not fired for her porn creds. Instead, the company says, "This former team member worked for a franchise location and the franchisee has informed us that the accusations made are not accurate and that she was instead terminated for violation of their policies and procedures."

The Bell isn't saying which policies and procedures she violated. Lonna's now raising money online, claiming she was wrongfully terminated.

Kim Kardashian Man She's Been Trying to Free Since 2018 ... Sentence Commuted by Trump

After Kim Kardashian West was successful in lobbying President Trump to free Alice Marie Johnson, she went to work on doing the same for many others, including Chris Young ... and Trump delivered.

The Prez used his final day in office to grant pardons and commutations, and among the list of prisoners he commuted is Young ... who Kim began championing in 2018.

As you may recall ... Kim visited The White House in September 2018 -- a few months after Alice's release -- to continue to fight for criminal justice reform, and she lasered in on Young's case.

Much like Alice, Young was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2014 for non-violent drug offenses -- weed and cocaine possession -- as part of Tennessee's 3 strikes law. He was just 22 at the time.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Kim stayed involved with Young's legal team since her WH meeting and continued to bring attention to the case. We're told Alice was also involved helping Chris -- they share the same attorney, Brittany Barnett.

The announcement from The White House says, "Mr. Young's many supporters describe him as an intelligent, positive person who takes full responsibility for his actions ..." While Kim was not mentioned among the several names of criminal justice reform advocates who assisted Young, her amplification of the case on social media certainly brought it much needed attention.

The statement says Young "lacked a meaningful first chance in life due to what another Federal judge called an "undeniably tragic childhood." adding the commutation gives Young a second chance.

BTW ... Chris earned his GED and taught himself to code behind bars ... so he'll have a leg up in the job market.

National Guard in D.C. Vetted Using Facial Recognition ... Scouring Social Media

With 25,000 National Guard members set to protect D.C. for Joe Biden's inauguration, each member has been subject to a heavy vetting, which includes high-tech facial recognition.

Federal law enforcement sources tell us ... FBI vetting -- which is normal for high-security events -- begins by checking social media accounts, looking for connections to extremist groups.

Along with reviewing posts, comments and photos ... we're told the feds are using facial recognition software to track the activities of guardsmen and women, specifically searching for photos or videos tying them to radical activities.

Our sources say all 21,000+ National Guard members currently in D.C. -- who have come in from all 50 states -- have been scrutinized by facial recognition and other high-tech methods to determine if they had any involvement -- direct or indirect -- in the Capitol riots.

As for how that works ... all Guard members were required to take a photo when they showed up in D.C. for duty. We're told that photo is then cross-referenced with security camera footage along with online content to make sure there's no connection to extremist, far-right or fringe groups.

Along with the high-tech vetting tricks, our sources say the more common criminal background checks are also conducted ... in order to pick up on any red flags such as arrests or police report mentions.

When it's all said and done ... the FBI's goal is obviously to weed out anyone who might not have national security as their top priority while serving with the National Guard.

A U.S. official announced Tuesday, 2 Guardsmen apparently fit into that category and were removed from the inauguration security detail ... after the vetting process determined they had ties to far-right extremist groups. Later, that number was reported to be "about a dozen."

Donald Trump Frees Death Row Records Co-Founder ... Snoop Gives Props

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6:26 AM PT -- 1/20 -- Trump made Snoop a happy Dogg on his way out of office -- he's freeing Harris.

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The White House officially announced it has commuted the sentence of the Death Row Records co-founder after he served 30 years of a 25-year-to-life sentence.

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The WH statement says ... "Mr. Harris has had an exemplary prison record for three decades. He is a former entrepreneur and has mentored and taught fellow prisoners how to start and run businesses. He has completed courses towards business and journalism degrees."

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It adds that upon his release, Harris will have "a meaningful place of employment and housing with the support of his family."

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Snoop reportedly responded to the news by saying, "I love what they did," and praising what Trump's administration accomplished on its way out. Trump granted 73 pardons and commuted 70 sentences on his final day as President ... with Lil Wayne and Kodak Black making the cuts.

Snoop Dogg is trying to sway President Trump to free Death Row Records co-founder Michael 'Harry-O' Harris from an attempted murder conviction ... but the clock's ticking.

During the presidential transition, Snoop's been secretly lobbying Trump to commute Harris' sentence and the rapper even enlisted Alice Marie Johnson to bolster his case ... according to The Daily Beast.

Harris, who started Death Row Records with Suge Knight way back in 1992 and helped sign Snoop and Tupac to the label, is serving time on attempted murder and drug charges at California's FCI Lompoc.

Supposedly a changed man, Harris has been incarcerated for nearly 30 years ... and he's not supposed to get out until at least 2028, unless Trump steps in.

Snoop's reportedly gotten Trump's attention ... Alice Marie says Trump, Ivanka, Jared and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows all know about Harris' case. Remember, Kim Kardashian helped Alice get her life sentence commuted by Trump.

What's remarkable about Snoop's effort here is that back in 2017 ... he made his hatred of Trump perfectly clear in his "Lavender" music video by pulling a fake gun on a Trump lookalike in clown makeup.

So, this could be an uphill battle for Snoop to get Trump to see things his way. There's a long list of candidates for potential pardons with less than 24 hours to go in Trump's presidency ... so stay tuned.

Originally published -- 1/19 1:38 PM PT

President-elect Biden He's Just What America Needs Now ... Says Hopeful Historian

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BULLISH ON BIDEN
TMZ.com

If you're thinking Joe Biden's Presidency is behind the 8 ball right off the bat thanks to the great divide in our nation ... buck up, there's reason for optimism, according to a guy who knows his stuff.

Dr. Allan Lichtman -- Professor of History at American University -- joined "TMZ Live" to share his take on what Biden's up against ... and spell out exactly what it's going to take for him to have a successful administration.

The prof. offers some great perspective here ... he came armed with loaded historical examples of past Presidents who took over during tumultuous times (does 2000 ring a bell?), but found a way to govern effectively and bring people together.

Dr. Lichtman thinks Biden can do the same if he takes a page out of a legendary POTUS playbook. Hint: It's not JFK or Biden's buddy, Barack.

Bottom line is ... Lichtman thinks both Democrats and Republicans have 2 major problems to solve right away -- the pandemic and the economy -- and everyone can benefit if they work together.

It's just up to Biden to make it happen, and the historian's optimistic history will repeat itself ... in a good way this time.

Pro Surfer Makua Rothman 100-Foot Wave Ride Caught On Video ... World Record?!?

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CATCH A RIDE
Larry Haynes

Pro surfer Makua Rothman successfully rode a wave that was estimated to be about 100 feet tall over the weekend ... and the insane ride -- which some believe is a world record -- was all caught on video!!

The drop-in went down in Hawaii on Saturday ... when Rothman and some of the rest of the country's best big wave surfers hit up a famous area known as "Jaws" in Pe'ahi to tackle some gnarly swells.

At some point during the day, though, Rothman beat out the other surfers to catch a Holy Grail type of ocean ride -- tackling a wave that was estimated to be between 80 and 100 feet high!!

Surf industry officials close to Rothman tell TMZ Sports the wave might very well be the tallest ever surfed -- beating Rothman's previous record of around 66 feet.

After he finished the epic ride, Rothman was PUMPED over it all ... telling us, "I'm so stoked on this ride and everyone who made that day possible!"

FYI, for as good as Rothman is ... he ain't a stranger to falling on these types of waves -- remember back in 2018 when he got thrashed by a huge one??

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ROUGH RIDE

Yeah ... definitely don't try this at home, kids!!

Bailey in 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' 'Memba Her?!

Los Angeles native Jenna Boyd was only 12 years old when she gained fame after landing the role of Bailey -- who helps Tibby film her documentary while battling leukemia and sadly dies while in the hospital -- in the 2005 denim drama "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."

Jenna Boyd shared the big screen for the trouser-based film with some big names including America Ferrera as the father-feuding, Carmen Lowell, Alexis Bledel as the love-struck, Lena Kaligaris, Amber Tamblyn as the suckumentary filmmaker Tabitha "Tibby" Tomko-Rollins ... and of course, Blake Lively as the soccer camp crush, Bridget Vreeland.

Guess what she looks like now at 27 years old!

Sen. Lindsey Graham Sorry, Trump ... I'm Watching Biden Take the Oath!!!

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TIME TO MOVE ON
TMZ.com

Sen. Lindsey Graham -- one of President Trump's staunchest allies -- says he's riding with Biden, at least for Inauguration Day ... but what happens after that is kinda murky.

We got the Senator from South Carolina Tuesday at Reagan National Airport, and asked him about Wednesday morning's festivities, which on the surface seem like a logistical nightmare for him. His buddy Trump's getting an early sendoff ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland -- but of course, he's also on the guestlist for President-elect Biden's swearing-in on Capitol Hill.

Graham told us he's already decided to attend Biden's Inauguration. That's kinda surprising, considering a week ago he and Trump were still tight -- LG even flew to Texas with POTUS.

So, is he ready for the backlash from Trump supporters? Ask his platoon of bodyguards!! The Senator was flanked by at least 8 very serious-looking dudes.

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ENEMY NUMBER ONE
@iheartmindy / Twitter

It was a much different image from his last time in this terminal -- last week Trumpers gave him the business, blasting him as a traitor.

Despite his Wednesday plans, Graham's not completely turning his back on Trump. In fact, he's trying to get Sen. Chuck Schumer to dismiss the 2nd impeachment of Trump ... according to Politico. So, he's clearly not on board with voting to convict 45.

Still, Graham knows Trump's base is pissed off at him, but he told us why he's not letting them sway his decisions.

'Bachelorette' Clare Crawley Splits from Dale Moss ... He Confirms Break-Up

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2:49 PM PT -- Dale just posted his statement ... before Clare.

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It reads, "I wanted share with you all that Clare and I have decided to go our separate ways. We appreciate the love and support we’ve received from so many people, but this is the healthiest decision for both of us at this time."

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He adds, "We strongly believe in leading with love and always remaining true to oneself - something our families have taught and instilled in us throughout our lives. We only hope the best things for one another."

'Bachelorette' star Clare Crawley and Dale Moss are officially on a break, as they say ... effectively ending it after she cut her season short, just for him.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ... Dale broke things off with Clare this past weekend.

As for why ... no word yet. One thing we do know for sure -- they were dating from a distance ... he lived in NYC, and she was on the West Coast in Sacramento -- which is always a toughie.

It's a very anticlimactic end for what many thought was a love-at-first-sight pairing. From the day Clare met all of her on-screen suitors, it was clear she was head over heels for the guy ... and didn't give the other fellas much of a chance to compete for her affection.

In fact, Clare was actually mocked pretty often for snubbing dudes in the house ... and constantly seeking out or talking about Dale, even if she was on a date with someone else.

The writing was on the wall that they were meant for each other ... or so they thought.

Clare -- the oldest 'Bachelorette' to head up a season -- ultimately bailed on the show entirely once Dale proposed to her (again, early) ... which made way for Tayshia Adams, the second Black 'Bachelorette,' who picked up the baton and finished things off with the remaining 16 men -- plus 4 new guys who were brought on. She ended up getting engaged to Zac Clark.

Whatever led to the break up here, it's a bummer for Clare, and has to have her wondering ... "what if?"

Made-for-TV relationships, man ... always hit or miss.

Originally Published -- 2:05 PM PT

Halsey Buys Liam Payne's House ... For a Cool $10M

Halsey is the new owner of a zen paradise, after scooping up Liam Payne's oasis in Calabasas.

The "You should be sad" singer certainly has reason to be happy after dropping $10,161,150 for the former 1D singer's 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom crib tucked away in the hills above Malibu.

The 9,659 square-foot home is perfect for entertaining, with a home theater, beautiful backyard and wine cellar. It's also got a giant library for quiet nights at home.

The pool looks like it was plucked right out of a 5-star resort, with a koi pond, waterfalls and tons of surrounding gardens.

There's also a massage/meditation house, recording studio, pool house with a full gym and guest room. And, this is on TOP of an additional private guest house.

Jonah Wilson of Hilton & Hyland and Tomer Fridman of Compass repped Liam while Josh Myler at The Agency repped Halsey.

Stephanie McMahon WWE Plans To Have Fans In Attendance At WrestleMania 37 In April

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THE MAYHEM CONTINUES!!!
TMZSports.com

WWE hasn't had a live audience since March ... but that's about to change, 'cause Stephanie McMahon tells TMZ Sports WWE plans to have fans in attendance at WrestleMania 37!!

McMahon joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... where she announced WWE's gunning to have an audience at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at WM on April 10 and 11.

“I’m thrilled and excited because, hopefully, this will be the first opportunity for us to have our fans back in attendance," McMahon says.

"That’s the current plan. Of course, ticket information is not available yet cause we’re still trying to figure out all the machinations.”

McMahon tells us WWE is keeping an eye on the Super Bowl (Feb. 7, also at RJS in Tampa) ... for tips on how to make sure the massive event goes off without a hitch.

"We're going to learn a lot from [the NFL] logistically, etc., and really best practices, what works, what doesn't work. But man, we can't wait to come in and for 2 nights, really rock that pirate ship."

FYI, it's been 316 days (March 9th's Monday Night Raw) since the wrestling organization had live fans in the building.

Still, plans can change ... and McMahon stressed WWE's top priority is the health of everyone involved.

"Working with the local organizing committee, all of the health officials, health and safety is first and foremost, of course," Stephanie says.

"For our fans, for our performers, for the employees, for the staff working the building, there's a lot of different logistics that need to determined, but hopefully, it'll all work out, and this will be the first WWE event where we actually bring the WWE Universe back together in person, and I cannot wait."

As far as the exact number of fans they plan to admit ... Stephanie says WWE has a plan, but isn't ready to reveal the figure at this time.

For comparison's sake, WWE had around 100K fans at WM 33 at AT&T Stadium in 2016 (WWE's going back to Texas for WM 38).

Obviously, the number will be way smaller this April. But, bottom line ... humans will be there!

There's more ... we also talked to Stephanie about Rob Gronkowski AND Tom Brady.

Gronk is the former 24/7 Champ -- and host of last year's Mania -- so we asked McMahon if a cameo from Rob and his G.O.A.T. QB teammate was in the cards.

The full interview with Stephanie McMahon airs tonight on FS1!!

Joe Biden Denied Government Aircraft ... Flying Private to D.C. Inauguration

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OFF TO D.C.
C-SPAN / Getty
UPDATE

2:07 PM PT -- The Bidens have touched down in D.C., and even though Joe got snubbed from getting a government plane ride to his new job ... his private flight provided an amusing moment, thanks to the pilot.

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FRONT ROW SEAT
C-SPAN
UPDATE

Watch closely ... the guy busts out his phone to capture the historic moment as his First Family of passengers deboard. We don't know what the pilot's name is, but judging by the smile on his face ... we're gonna guess it's Stan.

Donald Trump's pettiness apparently knows no bounds, because Joe Biden isn't getting what Trump himself got ... a government aircraft taking him to D.C. for his inauguration.

Biden just boarded a private jet for the short flight to Washington. Protocol has been for the incoming President to get the courtesy of a military aircraft. Aside from the fact this tradition is rooted in the transfer of power, it's gotta be safer, with all the bells and whistles that come with it.

FYI ... Donald Trump was afforded this courtesy when he flew to Washington on January 19, 2017, the day before he was inaugurated.

This is one in a series of protocol breaks. Among the others ...

-- Trump hasn't called Biden to congratulate him on winning the election

-- Trump has not invited Biden to the White House

-- Trump has offered tepid cooperation in the transition, making it much harder for Biden and his team to prepare for the ascendency to power.

-- Trump will not greet Biden on January 20th for tea at the White House before Biden heads to the Capitol

-- Trump will not attend Biden's inauguration

One more tradition ... an outgoing President leaves a note for the incoming President in the Oval Office. Trump was effusive about the note Obama left him. Joe Biden ... don't hold your breath.

Originally published -- 11:45 AM PT

Don Sutton Dead At 75 Passed Away In Sleep

Los Angeles Dodgers legend Don Sutton -- one of the greatest pitchers of his generation -- has died at the age of 75.

Sutton's son, Daron, made the announcement on social media on Tuesday ... saying his Hall of Fame father passed away overnight.

"Saddened to share that my dad passed away in his sleep last night. He worked as hard as anyone I’ve ever known and he treated those he encountered with great respect ... and he took me to work a lot. For all these things, I am very grateful. Rest In Peace," Daron wrote.

Sutton -- who was inducted into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 -- pitched 23 seasons in the big leagues ... including 16 years with the Dodgers.

Don was a 4x All-Star and was MLB's ERA leader in 1980. He won 324 games ... and struck out 3,574 batters -- good enough for 7th all-time.

In addition to his time in Los Angeles, Sutton also pitched for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, California Angels.

The Dodgers retired his #20 jersey in 1998.

RIP.