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Yaphet Kotto -- the longtime actor known for his roles in "Midnight Run," "Alien" and "Live and Let Die" -- died Monday near Manila in the Philippines ... according to his wife.

Yaphet's wife, Tessie Sinahon, announced his death on Facebook, saying ... "This is a very painful moment for me to inform you all fans, friends and family of my husband." No cause of death was given.

Kotto reportedly came from Cameroonian royalty on his father's side ... but was born in NYC and began studying acting as a teenager. He made his theater debut in the late '50s in "Othello" and appeared on Broadway's "The Great White Hope."

This led to his first film roles in the '60s in "Nothing But a Man" and "The Thomas Crown Affair," and a guest-starring role as Marine Lance Corporal on "Hawaii Five-O."

Then, Yaphet broke through in a big way by playing the famous Bond villain, Mr. Big, in 1973's "Live and Let Die" opposite Roger Moore.

He would go on to land tough-guy roles in several popular movies ... like the engineer, Parker, in the 1979 blockbuster "Alien."

Kotto's other big films include "The Running Man" with Arnold Schwarzenegger and "Midnight Run" with Robert De Niro. In the '90s, he co-starred on the TV series "Homicide: Life on the Street," and also had an appearance years later on HBO's "The Wire."

He and his wife, who is from the Philippines, wed in Baltimore in 1998. He had 2 previous marriages and 6 children.

Yaphet was 81.

YouTuber David Dobrik tends not to touch the bottle, but it sure looks like he's ready to pass you a handle with his name on it ... just bring the lime and salt!

Dobrik's company, The David Dobrik Corporation, has filed a trademark application for what appears to be his own tequila line ... at least that's what his paperwork says, anyway.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Dobrik's looking to lock up the rights to "DOBRIQUILA" to slap on spirits, liqueurs, distilled agave liquor and just about anything else you can take a swig from.

Now, while it might not be all that crazy for an influencer to be diving into the lucrative tequila biz -- looking at you, Kendall -- it is a little interesting to see Dobrik making a run at it.

Fact is ... the guy is famously known not to drink -- kinda like Trump. Dave even talked about it once in a quick-fire interview with Wired, in which he explained (in the third person) that he doesn't booze because he can't handle his liquor, and is scared how he might act all smashed and whatnot. Plus, it kinda goes against the squeaky clean nice guy image he portrays.

That's not to say he doesn't hang with folks who sip every now and then -- in fact, a lot of his videos document tipsy shenanigans he and his friends get into, but with him usually being sober. In fact, a lot of his video titles advocate for not drinking ... go figure!

Reggie Warren -- one of the founding members of the R&B group TROOP -- was struggling financially before he died, so his family is crowdfunding to pay for medical bills and a funeral.

A rep for Reggie tells TMZ ... the money started drying up around 2014 because TROOP hadn't had a big hit song since the 1990s, and now his family is feeling the squeeze.

Reggie's fam set up a GoFundMe to try and raise $30,000, which we're told will go toward paying hospital bills and burial expenses.

TMZ broke the story ... Reggie died Sunday in Pasadena, the day after being released from a two-month stay in the hospital.

How's the best NFL draft prospect in the country celebrating his final weeks as an unmarried man??

VEGAS, BABY!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Trevor Lawrence hit up Sin City for a low-key bachelor party over the weekend -- bro-ing down at a casino table with his pals and living it up just days before he's set to marry his longtime GF, Marissa Mowry.

A witness tells us the 21-year-old ex-Clemson QB was at Mandalay Bay at around 11:30 p.m. Sunday ... gambling with some buds and keeping his surgically repaired left shoulder safe in a sling.

We're told Lawrence had security to watch his back ... but was super cool with fans who recognized him.

Unclear which game Lawrence was playing and how much cash he was betting ... but don't worry, he can afford to gamble -- as next month's projected #1 overall pick, he's expected to sign a 4-year deal worth around $40 MILLION!!

As for the upcoming nuptials, Lawrence and Mowry -- who have dated since 2016 and got engaged in July 2020 -- are scheduled to tie the knot sometime in early April.

Before this baby with bangs was one of the most famous supermodels of her day, she was just another smirking sweetie growing up in DeKalb, Illinois.

This little lady made her mark on the modeling industry by gracing the covers of numerous fashion magazines and even posing for Playboy twice -- once in 1988 and a second time ten years later. This beautiful bombshell didn't shy away from the big screen either ... she has made a few debuts showing off some acting skills.

Now, this celebrity is married with two children of her own.

Travis Scott went to work, literally, to make sure his new spiked seltzer hit local shelves ... but in the process, he caused a chaotic, and potentially dangerous, scene.

Scott hit up several grocery stores around Los Angeles Monday to promote his CACTI spiked seltzer. The rapper went inside a Pavillions in West Hollywood to check on his product and grab a pack of gum ... only to be swarmed by fans.

You can see the cashier and another customer get engulfed by the crowd as Travis signs autographs and tries to pay for his gum.

What's most upsetting about the video ... some fans aren't wearing masks, and every time he speaks, or yells, Travis pulls his own mask down ... defeating the whole point of wearing one.

Grocery stores have gone to great lengths to make sure customers can shop safely, and to see the safe practices like mask-wearing and social distancing completely ignored -- essentially over a pack of gum -- is sure to enrage store management.

Ted Cruz is liking what he's seeing with the country's vaccination rollout, and it's got him thinking about ballin' ... even though the court at the Senate gym sucks.

The Texas Senator was arriving at Reagan National Airport in D.C. Monday when he had a hopeful chat with our photog about returning to normal, putting the pandemic behind us ... and taking a member of his staff to the hole.

Sounds like Ted's got a case of March Madness, and even though he tells us the basketball court at the Senate's facility is terrible ... he's ready to "bang around a little bit."

If ya don't know, Cruz ain't bad when it comes to playing hoops ... at least compared to Jimmy Kimmel. He took down his late-night talk show host rival in a sweaty mess of a 1-on-1 match back in 2018. Thankfully, it was all for charity.

Clearly, Ted's itching to get back to the sport and says everyone's eager to get out of their houses after a year of dealing with COVID-19 ... and he's encouraged we're getting closer to normalcy.

Rob Gronkowski told us it was happening, and now it's official -- the superstar tight end has re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a deal worth up to $10 million!!!

Remember, 31-year-old Gronk told TMZ Sports just last week he wasn't handing in his retirement papers just yet ... saying he was ready to run it back as Tom Brady and Co. try to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

"I'm back, man!" Gronk told us. "I will be back playing football, man. I love the game of football. I loved playing last year. I had a great time."

Gronk wasted no time with free agency kicking off this week ... agreeing to a 1-year, $10 milli deal on Monday.

Rob was solid in 2020 -- his first season back since leaving the game in 2018 -- putting up more than 600 yards and 7 TDs.

Oh yeah, and the guy won his 4th Super Bowl. Not too shabby.

Gronk reacted to the news with a nod to the SpongeBob SquarePants pirate ... saying, "Arrr You Ready Kids??"

Rich the Kid's been arrested for possession of a concealed weapon at LAX ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told the rapper was going through security at the airport Monday afternoon when a loaded firearm was discovered in his carry-on luggage. He was busted shortly after 1 PM PT, but it's unclear if cops have processed him yet.

The LAX arrest comes on the heels of a pretty rough 2020 that saw Rich get sued a few times -- by a management company, a jewelry store, and Fashion Nova.

The year before wasn't much better ... when he was the apparent target of a shooting attack at a West Hollywood studio -- and in 2018, he was badly injured in a home invasion.

The calendar change isn't helping Rich much ... not yet, anyway.

Several players from the Norman High School girls basketball team have broken their silence about the racist comments directed at them by a game announcer ... and they're calling for action.

It's powerful stuff.

The players have teamed up with famous civil rights attorney  Ben Crump -- who has worked with the families of several high-profile victims of police or racial violence ... from Ahmaud Arbery to Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Jacob Blake.

Crump held a news conference Monday with several of the players and their families -- who all spoke out about Matt Rowan, the announcer who hurled the n-word at the team for their decision to take a knee during the national anthem.

As we previously reported, Rowan's comments were caught on a hot mic -- and people at home could hear him bashing the NHS players who were demonstrating to spotlight police brutality and racial injustice.

During his rant, Rowan said he hoped the Norman team would get their asses kicked on the court that night.

Rowen later apologized for his language -- and said he's a Type-1 diabetic who loses his ability to censor himself when his blood sugar is high, which he claims happened that night.

FYI, the Norman High School girls basketball team went on to win the Oklahoma 6-A state championship over the weekend.

The players say they were obviously hurt and shocked by the comments -- but they're proud of the way they stood together as a team and still WON the whole tourney!

Ben Crump says there are no plans to take legal action at this time ... but continued to praise the team for thriving in such a challenging moment.

The Catholic Church is not allowed to bless same-sex unions because God "does not and cannot bless sin" ... according to the Vatican, in a decree approved by the Pope.

The Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued the official ruling Monday in response to a question about whether or not Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.

The answer is no, because the Vatican says Catholicism teaches that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman with the purpose of creating new life.

The decree seems pretty two-faced ... considering the Vatican says gay people must be treated with dignity and respect, and the church can continue to bless gay people ... as a whole.

On the flip side ... the Vatican also describes gay sex as "intrinsically disordered."

In recent years, Pope Francis has made headlines for his support of gay rights and even legal protections for same-sex couples -- but the buck clearly stops at marriage.

Wack 100's being sued by a Hollywood actor claiming a brutal beatdown from the hip-hop manager left him bloodied and disfigured ... with his jaw wired shut.

Kenneth Lawson, who stars on the sitcom "In the Cut," is suing The Game and Blueface's manager claiming he got knocked out by Wack while he and his wife, Monique, dined at the sushi joint Yamashiro Hollywood back in December 2019.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Kenneth claims he was approached by Wack 100, who he says he had never met before, and started yelling at him and accusing Kenneth of speaking to Wack's wife.

Kenneth says Monique introduced herself as Kenneth's wife in an attempt to deescalate the sitch ... but to no avail. Instead, Kenneth claims Wack yelled, "Keep your bitch in check" before allegedly striking him in the mouth and jaw ... causing him to "violently strike his head on the ground, knocking him unconscious."

Kenneth also claims Wack, no stranger to throwing hands, turned to Monique and nearly struck her too before he was allegedly restrained by guests who intervened. He claims he suffered a 4-inch deep laceration to his lip and chin, multiple fractures to his jaw, three dislodged teeth and one tooth knocked out ... requiring his jaw to be wired for 3 months.

And, get this ... Kenneth claims he lost his Bounce TV show due to his injuries, which at the time of the incident was in its 7th season.

Kenneth and Monique are also suing Cash Money Records and its label honcho, Birdman, claiming Wack was at the restaurant that night to promote a recording artist named Bre.

Tiffany Haddish and Nicki Minaj got beef ... it sure seems like it anyway, after the comedian threw some major shade at the rapper.

Tiffany was partaking in a Clubhouse chat recently when a guy compared her to Nicki -- calling her the "Nicki Minaj of comedy right now." Haddish wasn't having it.

After another voice in the discussion suggested Tiffany's better than Nicki because she "shows up on time," Tiff chimed in herself with ... "And unlike Nicki, I treat everybody with respect and dignity."

If it seems like this is coming out of left field -- that's not entirely true. The 2 ladies have a little bit of history dating back to the 2018 VMAs, when Tiffany, a presenter, made a joke about the group Fifth Harmony.

Nicki took exception to the diss, and later defended her friend in the group, telling Tiff ... "Don't be coming for Fifth Harmony because Normani is that bitch!"

Things are looking up between Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez ... at least that's how A-Rod seems to view their relationship, now that they're in the same place.

TMZ has confirmed A-Rod flew to the Dominican Republic, where J Lo has been shooting a movie, and Monday morning he posted video from their luxury digs down there. His caption said, "Happy Monday. New week,. New day. Onward. Upward."

BTW, he also tagged J Lo tag in his post.

Remember, A-Rod told a photog Saturday in Miami he is definitely NOT single. He and Jennifer told TMZ, "We are working through some things."

Sources with direct knowledge told us those issues they're working on do not involve a third person.

Now, we're told A-Rod's been going to the DR every few weeks while Jen's been there shooting -- so this current trip could've been planned all along. Still, the fact he's carried through with it ... is a sign they might work it all out, after all.

Don Rickles' widow, Barbara has passed ... and on a momentous day in their relationship.

Sources close to the family tell TMZ ... Barb passed away Sunday after being hospitalized last week. We're told she'd been battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other ailments in recent years.

Our sources tell us this touching detail as well ... Barbara apparently held on to life until Sunday, which would've marked the 56th wedding anniversary of her and Don. They'd been married for 52 years prior to his passing in 2017.

Don and Barbara were good old-fashioned Hollywood sweethearts -- and were pretty much partners as Don navigated showbiz in the '60s, '70s and beyond. Barbara served as an EP for a re-release of a comedy show of Don's called 'Don Rickles Live in Concert.' She also appeared alongside him as herself in documentaries and other TV specials over the years.

The story goes that Don met Barbara through his agent, and hit it off.  They were in love and pretty much inseparable. Don always spoke highly of Barbara, once telling Al Roker that he was completely devoted to her and she was his life.

Don's death hit Barbara hard, but she remembered him fondly online ... taking over Don's Twitter account and posting messages on both their wedding and his death anniversary. A couple years back she wrote, "Saturday April 6th will be the 2nd Anniversary of my Don’s passing. It is a very difficult time, but reading your kind Tweets is so helpful. Yes I read them all. Don would have been so pleased to know how much joy & laughter he gave to so many during his lifetime.  RIP ❤️ Barbara."

The couple had two children together, including screenwriter Larry Rickles ... who died in 2011. She's survived by her daughter and grandchildren. Barbara was 84.

Two men accused of using bear spray on the U.S. Capitol Police officer who died have been arrested and charged with assault ... but it's not clear if they killed him.

Federal authorities say Julian Khater and George Tanios carried out the bear spray attack on officer Brian Sicknick. They got busted Sunday, TMZ confirmed, some 2 months after the storming of the Capitol.

Sicknick died the night after the Jan. 6 riot, and while Capitol Police say he died from injuries sustained while on duty, the feds say they haven't determined if the alleged bear spray attack played a role in his death.

The feds say video shows Khater asking for a canister of bear spray from Tanios before spraying Sicknick and 2 other police in the face.

Khater and Tanios are charged with assault with a deadly weapon, civil disorder and obstruction of congressional proceeding. They are NOT charged with homicide, as there is still no official cause of death for Sicknick.