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Mike Mitchell -- one of the founders of The Kingsmen, the '60s rock band known for their recording of the massive hit, "Louie Louie" -- has died.

Mike, the band's guitar player, died Friday on his birthday. Kingsmen drummer Dick Peterson says ... "We are deeply saddened by Mike’s passing. He was the kindest and most generous man on the planet."

He adds ...  "For the past 57 years, we have been playing colleges, fairs, and festivals, vintage car shows and rock n’ roll shows throughout the USA. Mike is irreplaceable, and he will be greatly missed not only by us but the fans as well. Mike was a favorite for his comedic nature as well as his musicianship."

The Kingsmen formed in Portland, Oregon in 1959, but became garage rock icons 4 years later in 1963 with their famous cover of Richard Berry’s 1957 song "Louie Louie."

The song held the #2 spot on the Billboard charts for 6 non-consecutive weeks, and inspired rock bands for generations ... being subsequently covered by other groups like The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, The Troggs, The Sonics, The Beatles, Mothers of Invention, Motörhead, Black Flag and Iggy Pop.

Though the other founding members of The Kingsmen split off, Mitchell -- who delivers the iconic guitar solo on "Louie Louie" -- remained for 62 years.

Another famous guitarist, Joe Walsh, offered his condolences to Mitchell's family, saying ... "I learned to play the guitar because of Mike Mitchell. I know every one of his solos, mistakes and all. We’re losing the good guys."

Mike is survived by his children, Samantha and Max.

He was 77.

"Lucifer" star Tom Ellis and his screenwriter wife, Meaghan Oppenheimer, got a devil of a scare in the mail ... cops are investigating a strange package sent to the couple.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone sent a glitter package last month to Tom and Meaghan's Los Angeles home, and we're told the couple found the delivery creepy enough to call cops and file a police report.

We know what you're thinking -- what the hell's a glitter package??? We're told it was a box filled with glitter, which might not sound all that menacing -- however, what concerned the couple is that it was addressed to Meaghan ... and not her more famous hubby.

LAPD's Threat Management division is now on the case, and we're told they do have a lead on a suspect.

The L.A. Lakers will NOT visit Joe Biden at the White House next week to celebrate their 2019-20 NBA championship -- but it ain't a protest.

Unlike every NBA team during the Trump administration, the Lakers are NOT choosing to skip the Biden visit for political reasons -- it's all about COVID protocols and scheduling conflicts, according to multiple outlets.

The Lakers will be in D.C. to take on the Washington Wizards on April 28th -- and championship teams have historically scheduled the celebratory White House during road trips in the area.

But, it won't happen this time.

However, the Lakers -- including superstar LeBron James -- are open to a future meeting with President Biden ... possibly later or even after the season.

Hey, they're all busy people!

Plus, the NBA has strongly discouraged teams from participating in large public gatherings -- which could be one of the reasons they're pressing pause on the White House visit for now.

During President Trump's term -- zero NBA or WNBA championship teams visited the White House.

The Warriors, Raptors and Lakers were all outspokenly against the visit -- and Trump, in turn, either withdrew his invitation or never extended one.

Same with the WNBA teams and nearly every major college basketball champion with one exception ... the Baylor women's team visited after their 2019 title win.

"He's got 3 Super Bowl rings. He has 36 touchdowns. He's 5-foot-9. He's Jewish!"

Jeremy Piven says all of that -- and more -- are the reasons he's certain Julian Edelman is a Hall of Famer ... telling TMZ Sports the Patriots legend should be in Canton on the 1st ballot!

"He runs a 4.3 [40-yard dash], he played quarterback in high school," Piven told us out in L.A. this week. "I mean, I look in the mirror and I see Julian Edelman. I don't see me, and then I wake up and I see me and then it's pathetic."

"I celebrate him with the power of Christ. He's amazing! Put him in the Hall of Fame!"

The debate is now raging in the football world after Edelman officially retired from the game last Monday ... with people in both corners of the argument adamant they're right.

On one hand, you have guys like Rob Gronkowski, who still ain't so sure Edelman's gonna get the nod ... despite playing with the guy forever in New England.

On the other hand, you have dudes like Piven who are all in.

As for if Edelman truly deserves the bronze bust ... his regular season stats are solid -- 620 catches for 6,822 receiving yards and 36 TDs -- but not spectacular.

His postseason resume, though, certainly is. Julian's got 3 title rings, a Super Bowl MVP award and he's second all-time to Jerry Rice in total playoff receptions.

"He was one of Tom Brady's favorite targets," Piven added. "That's not a participation trophy. He ran great routes, he hustled. You look at his highlights and look at his stats."

"Even Belichick's coming out and saying the variable with Julian Edelman is he shows up at the big moments."

Lil Yachty doesn't think boycotts in Georgia will help change new, oppressive voting laws in his home state ... but he's got advice for people worried about getting to the polls.

We got the Atlanta rapper leaving dinner at Delilah in WeHo and asked about the impact of Major League Baseball, Hollywood productions and other big businesses pulling out of Georgia in protest over new laws that make it harder to vote ... mostly for people of color.

Lil Yachty says the boycotts won't last forever, and he thinks they won't actually do anything to sway lawmakers to jettison the law they just enacted ... because the Peach State is just too stubborn.

Before this sun-kissed sweetheart was falling in love on a beloved drama series, she was just another baby with bangs and a braid growing up in Trafford, England.

This little lady has been in the business since she was just a teen ... she gained notoriety across the pond with a reoccurring role on a television series at the age of 14. However, recently, her career in the United States began to boom upon the release of a period Netflix drama based on a popular book series.

It will give you something to swoon about!

There was another officer-involved shooting in Minnesota this weekend, but it wasn't at all the kind that people have been protesting over ... not even close.

Burnsville Police say their officers first encountered a suspected car thief Sunday driving a vehicle with stolen plates, which he crashed. BPD says they were notified this same individual allegedly went on to carjack a female at gunpoint later in the day ... and then led police on a wild chase, all while he fired at officers who were in hot pursuit -- so claim the cops.

Part of that incident was captured by a bystander ... who filmed the suspect jumping out of the vehicle, and proceeding to run toward a highway with cruisers hot on his tail. In the clip, it appears the man attempts to carjack yet another vehicle on the road.

The white SUV ended up swerving out of the way, and police units finally caught up to him. The video freezes at that point ... presumably, that's when he was shot. BPD says the suspect was shooting at cops and officers returned fire, and the suspect ended up dead.

The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating ... standard operating procedure.

Now, here's where things get interesting ... a local reporter for FOX9 -- who was covering protests at the Governor's mansion in St. Paul Sunday -- posted video of a group of demonstrators taking a knee in silence, this after they'd apparently heard there was another officer-involved shooting. Not just that ... but she says they planned to head down there too.

Later, she followed-up ... tweeting, "Just an update on this, protestors said later they're heading back to Brooklyn Center because they need more information about what happened in Burnsville first." In other words ... it doesn't look like they had any real info from the jump -- kneeling for a guy cops say was going full GTA.

Sunday Burquest -- a former contestant on "Survivor" -- has died after battling cancer.

The youth pastor's daughter, Kennedy, confirmed her mother's passing on Instagram ... posting a touching tribute that thanked Sunday for teaching her to be a Christian, and for being the best role model possible.

She writes ... "It breaks my heart to know you will never get to see me on my wedding day, or be there when I have my first kid. But I know you’re watching over me." Kennedy went on to say that she's happy her mom will be with Jesus, and that she doesn't have to be in pain anymore, adding ... "I know one day we will meet again. Until then, I’ll spend every minute missing you, and trying to make you proud. Rest easy mom, I’ll see you soon 🤍."

Sunday had previously disclosed that she'd been diagnosed with esophageal and ovarian cancer -- with a new iteration of the disease re-infecting her last summer ... when, at the time, doctors had told her she only had months to live.

Prior to the latest diagnosis, she'd fought breast cancer in 2012 ... and came out the other side after several surgeries and treatments.

Sunday competed on the 33rd season of "Survivor" ... dubbed 'Millennials vs. Gen X,' which aired in 2016. She made it pretty far, as she was the 14th person voted out, coming in at 7th place. She ended up going from being on a tribe with people mostly her age to the other tribe, full of 20 and 30-somethings, with whom she didn't appear to gel that well.

Before coming on to compete, she'd been cleared medically after beating her breast cancer -- and was one of the feel-good stories of the season. She's survived by her husband and four children.

Sunday was 50.

Matthew McConaughey's chances at winning the Texas governorship look solid -- at least based on a random sampling of 1,000 or so registered voters who say they'd vote for him.

The actor stacked favorably against incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott in terms of winnability ... this according to a new poll conducted by The Dallas Morning News and The University of Texas Tyler, which found McConaughey raked in 45% of the people who were asked.

The team talked to 1,126 registered Texan voters -- slightly more Republican than Dems -- and when asked if they'd be more likely to support MMC over Abbott ... nearly half said they WOULD, while 33% said they'd back GA -- and 22% said they'd vote for someone else.

That's pretty incredible ... especially considering Matt's openly mused about the possibility of running, and even recently said "it would be up to the people" on whether he'd run or not.

As for what political party platform he'd potentially run on ... it's unclear. Matt hasn't said one way or another if he's registered to either the GOP or the Dems, and his views on issues are pretty nuanced -- but as for where he lands on its face, probably more centrist than anything.

McConaughey has said that the "left" of this country often goes too far in their approach to things -- especially when it comes to finding common ground with conservatives and being cordial.

Then again, he's made clear that those on the far-right can be just as extreme ... and has written off a lot of their beliefs as well. So, seems he's right down the middle somewhere.

Black Rob -- a rapper who was once part of Diddy's Bad Boy roster -- has died ... this according to his former labelmates.

Rob reportedly passed away Saturday while hospitalized in Atlanta -- this after he was apparently battling kidney failure for quite some time ... so says NYC radio personality DJ Self, who posted a video of Rob from his hospital bed speaking on DMX's death.

Of BR's passing, Self says ... "Lord knows i tried to get help ...... I’m sad to say RIP to Black Rob." Self had been with Rob in his final days, posting different clips of the former MC as his health was clearly deteriorating. In one such video, Rob himself explained that he'd been battling health issues for five years ... including several strokes and other ailments. It also sounds like Rob might have been homeless too ... going on to say he needed "rest."

It's pretty heartbreaking to watch ... especially since Rob didn't appear to have reps of his own toward the end. DJ Self made clear he wasn't representing Rob either, but simply getting his message out.

Another former Bad Boy MC, Mark Curry, also confirmed the sad news of Rob's passing ... posting a teary-eyed video Saturday saying he'd just gotten word, thanking everyone who donated to a GFM campaign in Rob's name -- while publicly asking Rob's children to get in touch with him ... presumably to make funeral arrangements.

Both Mark and Rob were featured on Diddy's famous track "Bad Boy 4 Life" ... with each contributing verses in the memorable music video, which showed Diddy and co. moving into a suburban neighborhood and drawing the ire of Ben Stiller. Rob had performed with several other Bad Boy affiliated acts ... like 112, Faith Evans, Mase and even Biggie himself.

Of course, Rob broke through with his own hit in 2000 ... the critically-acclaimed "Whoa!" which ended up making it on several music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and others ... and ended up getting remixed several times over.

"Whoa!" stands as Rob's biggest hit to date -- but the man went on to churn out several albums ... even after leaving Bad Boy in the mid-2000s. He was reunited with his Bad Boy counterparts in 2016 when Diddy put together the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour.

Diddy doesn't appear to have commented on Rob's passing just yet. He was 51.

RIP

Alma Wahlberg -- the matriarch of the family and mother to Mark, Donnie and 7 other children -- has died.

Mark shared the news ... posting a photo of his mother, writing, "My angel. Rest in peace."

Back in July, 2020 ... Donnie had posted a message addressing his mother's health issues. He wrote, "I know that so many of you have asked how my mom Alma is doing. During my visit, she didn’t remember much, and was often confused, but somehow she was still Alma."

Donnie added, "She still lights up a room. She still made me smile. She’s still stubborn. And she still loves her baby Donnie. I thank you all, for your well wishes. Sending my heartfelt love, and sincerest wishes, to all those away from their loved ones."

Mama Wahlberg was heavily featured in the A&E series "Wahlburgers" ... which aired for 10 seasons as it followed Mark and Donnie's older brother's ambitions to create a burger joint that eventually became famous and expanded throughout the New England area.

Alma had 9 children ... Mark, Donnie, Paul, Robert, Jim, Arthur, Tracey, Michelle and Debbie. According to her A&E bio ... Alma was a hostess and greeter at her sons' burger joints but she had previously worked as a bank clerk and nurse's aid to help her family make ends meet. The entire family lived in a tight space while growing up in Dorchester.

Paul honored his mother when he opened an upscale Italian joint in Hingham, MA and dubbed it Alma Nove ... an homage to Alma and her 9 children.

Alma was 78.

Some Bakersfield cops had issues with a makeshift memorial for Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, because they dismantled it, much to the dismay of some residents.

Bakersfield residents held a vigil Saturday night, and various memorials were created to make the moment. The video shows an officer removing parts of the memorial ... folding up cardboard signs. A woman walks up to the cop to express her disapproval ... this as the officer takes the signs and starts walking toward his cruiser. The woman repeatedly asks for his badge number, and he obliges.

She then asks the cop for the signs back, but he's not having it. The PD tells TMZ the cardboard and candles were yanked because they were a fire hazard, adding, "This would not be the first time a vigil went up in flames so things have to be removed to avoid a fire."

DMX's fiancee just told the world ... the late rapper was her everything, and she's grateful for the time they had.

Desiree Lindstrom just posted, "The first night we met and you held me close. I knew I would never let go. I was lost in you and nothing else mattered. My best friend, my baby, my love...truly my everything. Thank you for us. Thank you for Exodus. Thank you God for Earl Simmons...forever X."

Desiree also got a tattoo as an homage to her late fiance, which says, "Dog Love" which sits over a large "X."

DMX and Desiree had a 4-year-old son, Exodus. As we reported, she was devastated by the passing of X.

One of the sweetest videos we've seen was when DMX proposed to Desiree back in 2019. What made it especially interesting ... he proposed the same day they had broken up, but she said "yes!"  The proposal went down at Exodus' 3rd birthday party at Sky Zone.

TMZ broke the story ... DMX died earlier this month at age 50 after OD'ing at home and suffering a heart attack. He was hospitalized for a week and ultimately his body functions failed.

Jake Paul just made good on his promise ... DESTROYING BEN ASKREN in a ferocious 1st-round knockout!!!!

THE FIGHT LASTED LESS THAN 2 MINUTES!!!

Askren -- a decorated MMA fighter -- threw some shots that landed in the opening moments of the fight. But things changed quickly.

24-year-old Paul made it clear he was headhunting -- throwing big shots and connecting with a DESTRUCTIVE right hand that sent the UFC fighter crashing to the floor with 1:18 left in the opening round.

Snoop was so pumped -- he was shouting, "FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM!"

36-year-old Askren got up and wanted to continue -- but the ref waved it off, saying Askren was stumbling ... and ultimately ruling Ben was just too discombobulated to continue.

Jake WAS EMOTIONAL after the win -- crying in the ring and falling to his knees in disbelief, At one point, he got back up and started doing push ups to show he could keep going.

Snoop Dogg -- who was doing the announcing -- spoke with Jake after the fight saying ... "You f**king did that. You're a bad motherf**ker."

"I told y'all I would do it in the 1st round. I told you I'm a real fighter," Paul replied.

Snoop was in a VERY good mood following the knockout -- saying he won a $2 MILLION bet he claims to have made on the fight with UFC president Dana White.

"Dana, where my money at?" Snoop said during the broadcast.

Dana White has previously denied ever taking the action with Snoop.

As for Paul, he's now 3-0 as a pro fighter -- including a similar knockout over NBA star Nate Robinson.

The million dollar question for Jake ... WHO'S NEXT?!

The whole Triller Fight Club event was pretty damn entertaining -- with performances from Justin Bieber, the Black Keys, Snoop, Too Short, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Diplo and more.

Lil Durk's concert was cut short Saturday night after gunshots rang out concert in Phoenix at the Celebrity Theatre.

Durk was performing at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix when the crowd of 10,000 heard gunfire erupt. The crowd scrambled as people fought to flee the venue.

The Phoenix PD says they couldn't locate anyone who was directly hit by bullets, and reports that one woman was grazed in the leg by a bullet are not true. Phoenix Police say It was reported to their team that the injury was not from gunfire. A few people suffered non-life-threatening injuries from attempting to fleeing the area. This is an ongoing investigation.

Durk seemed upset about something when he posted, "10k people sold out and no drama stop tryna stop us." He posted this before the gunfire but during the concert. It's unclear the drama to which he was referring.

The event was tagged, "Smurkchella," as Lil Durk and other rappers hit the stage.

Various videos were posted showing the mad dash to the exits as the crowd tried to get out of harm's way. Chairs were knocked over, people screaming ... the works.

The show abruptly stopped and that was the end of it.

So far, no suspects are in custody.

Several of the statues Michael Jackson had at his Neverland Ranch are up for grabs -- but it's a package deal only, and likely requires a collector who can appreciate the art separate from its history.

Noble Art Lovers tells TMZ ... a private collector has 28 pieces from the singer's notorious California property -- mostly statues -- but the owner won't sell them individually.

Instead, the entire collection must go as a whole ... and the asking price is $2.5 million.

So, what would ya get for that hefty sum? Numerous statues of children, including "Kids and Tree Swing," "Follow the Leader," "Young Boy and Companion," "Boy Playing Hand Bell," "The Footballer" and more.

There are also many historical statues -- like "Marble Roman Bust" and "Napoleon Crossing the Alps" -- along with Cupid statues, candelabra, a wooden ship, a Marilyn Monroe statue and a Minnie Mouse figurine.

We're told the owner is looking for a serious buyer, and Noble Art Lovers, out of Dubai, will handle it.