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Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen's widow are paying tribute to the late rock star on the 1-year anniversary of his sad passing.

Sammy posted a black and white picture of EVH strumming his guitar while in mid-air and his long hair flailing away. Sammy, who was part of the "Van Hagar" era from 1985 to 1996, said, "I can't believe it's been a year. The man is gone but the music lives on #forever."

Eddie's widow, Janie, also posted a touching tribute saying she thinks about EVH every single day. She said among the things she misses the most ... his smile, laugh and kindness.

Janie added, "I miss this, I miss us, I miss you, and I try my best to carry on the way you would want me to. But my Peep, some days, that's really hard to do. This will never get easier because there really is no getting over you."

TMZ broke the story ... Eddie died following a long battle with cancer. He died at a Santa Monica hospital with Janie and his son, Wolfgang, by his side. Eddie's ex-wife, Valerie Bertinelli, and Eddie's brother/drummer, Alex, were also by his side.

Speaking of Wolfie ... he also posted a picture on Instagram during a guitar sesh with his dad. Wolf wrote, "You fought so hard for so long, but you were still taken away. It’s just so unfair."

At long last the Zodiac Killer -- perhaps Northern California's most infamous serial killer -- has been identified, but he's already dead ... according to an independent team of investigators.

The investigators say the man who terrorized the San Francisco area in the late 1960s was Gary Francis Poste. However, police never caught him, and turns out he died in 2018. Poste successfully eluded authorities not just in the Bay Area, but also committed murder hundreds of miles away -- a killing that was not previously linked to him.

According to Fox News ... a team of more than 40 detectives, journalists and military intelligence officers made up the so-called Case Breakers, who believe Poste is the one responsible for a 1966 murder in the SoCal city of Riverside.

The Zodiac Killer, of course, is connected to 5 murders in 1968 and 1969. He thumbed his nose at authorities by sending riddles and codes in letters to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Zodiac Killer's rampage gave birth to a slew of movies ... most notably "Zodiac," starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo.

As for how The Case Breakers broke the case ... the team reportedly spent years digging through new forensic evidence and photos from Poste's darkroom. The team apparently found a photo that featured scars on Poste's forehead that matched scars on a sketch of the Zodiac.

There were also other clues ... the team deciphered letters sent by the Zodiac that revealed Poste as the killer. According to the team, there was one note where the letters of Poste's full name were removed to reveal an alternate message.

Ndakasi, the orphaned gorilla photographed in an incredible selfie in 2019, has died in the arms of her caretaker ... according to a spokesperson at the national park were she lived.

The Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo broke the sad news of the passing of its beloved orphaned mountain gorilla, saying she died last month after battling a prolonged illness.

According to the park ... Ndakasi "took her final breath in the loving arms of her caretaker and lifelong friend, Andre Bauma."

Bauma had looked after the gorilla ever since she was found clinging her to dead mother's body and taken to the park's Senkwekwe Center, where she lived for more than a decade. Virunga says Ndakasi's mom was killed by armed militia in a series of gorilla slayings.

Bauma says, "It was a privilege to support and care for such a loving creature, especially knowing the trauma Ndakasi suffered at a very young age."

If you don't recall ... Ndakasi went viral in 2019 thanks to an amazing photo of her and another orphaned gorilla in a park ranger's selfie. Virunga National Park responded to all the attention it got at the time, saying ... "Those gorilla gals are always acting cheeky so this was the perfect shot of their true personalities!"

Bauma adds ... "I loved her like a child and her cheerful personality brought a smile to my face every time I interacted with her. She will be missed by all of us at Virunga but we are forever grateful for the richness Ndakasi brought to our lives during her time at Senkwekwe."

The Gabby Petito case could be more complicated than it may appear on the surface -- and part of the reason is figuring out where exactly she was killed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... investigators are currently trying to figure out if Gabby was, in fact, slain where her body was found a couple weeks ago -- which was in the vicinity of Grand Teton National Park and the Bridger-Teton National Forest Service in Wyoming.

That's all federal land ... and, at the moment, the FBI is running point. However, we're told if it's determined Gabby wasn't actually killed on federal land, then the case would be kicked over to the state authorities in charge. The big question: If it's uncertain, who has jurisdiction to prosecute the killer?

Sources connected with the investigation tell TMZ, if there's no way to determine where Gabby was killed, the default will be where she was found, and since it's on federal land the U.S. Attorney would prosecute the accused killer. If, however, there's ambiguity and state authorities believe her body was moved there, the state and the feds could be at odds.

Bitcoin prices are jumping again -- and amid all the crypto craze for normies ... one guy's come out to say he's uber-rich, 'cause he's got a physical copy that's now worth tens of millions.

Great Collections -- a renowned coin auction house -- says they have a client in possession of one of only 6 physical BTC gold coins issued years ago, and each is worth 1,000 bitcoins. Do the math, and this dude's lone shekel is worth around $54 million!!!

Here's the story on how this fella -- who's staying anonymous for now -- stumbled across this coin way back in 2011 ... when bitcoin was in its infancy, and he took a major gamble.

Word is, this dude was considering buying either this one gold 1,000 BTC coin ... or two actual gold bars -- with each purchase running nearly the same in price at the time, around $4,000 to $5,000. He opted for the former -- throwing down $4,905 for the mysterious BTC coin ... which has come to be known as the "Gold Cas" in crypto circles.

Great Collections' client then threw the Cas into a desk drawer at home and literally forgot about it ... that is, until a couple years later, when he heard bitcoin was valued at $1,000 a pop and on the rise.

He raced back to said desk, whipped out that 1,000 BTC coin ... realizing he was holding a literal million-dollar item in his hand. It was then he realized what he'd bought, and laid low for all these years as bitcoin's price continued to rise to its current price of about $54k.

Now, that it's reaching astonishing levels ... the guy figured he'd come out to rub it in our faces -- while also noting he's got this puppy well-guarded in an overseas bank vault. We're told he has NO plans to sell it anytime soon -- as he believes bitcoin's going to the moon.

Chris Brown will NOT be prosecuted in his battery case ... 'cause TMZ's learned the prosecutors are rejecting the whole matter.

According to the L.A. City Attorney's Office ... they've declined to move forward with charges due to insufficient evidence against Chris. As we reported, Brown was listed as the suspect after the alleged victim told cops he smacked the back of her head so violently her weave came off.

Our law enforcement sources told us cops responded to CB's San Fernando Valley home in June and cops took a battery report, naming Chris as the suspect.

We were told the alleged victim suffered no injuries ... besides the weave removal. Chris was never arrested for it.

The incident marked the second time cops showed up to Chris' house in as many months. They had to break up his massive birthday event ... forcing cops to direct traffic on the winding roads as helicopters hovered above.

So, as far as CB is concerned ... this battery case is all now behind him.

Britney Spears was diagnosed by medical professionals with a mental illness, but Jamie Spears and the business management team he hired felt they could free Britney from the grips of her mental problems with religion ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Jamie became a born again Christian after a stint in rehab early on in the conservatorship. Jamie knew Lou Taylor, who worked with Jamie Lynn as early as 2004 and also became a spokesperson for the family back then.

Taylor created a company called Tri Star Entertainment and in 2008 she and Jamie discussed making Tri Star the business manager in the conservatorship.

Taylor was also a fervent born again Christian ... something she talked about on the "Today" show in 2008. Taylor brought in Robin Greenhill, who worked for Tri Star, to have day-to-day contact with Britney ... helping manage her business affairs. But, we're told it went way beyond money ... Robin in particular was up in every aspect of Britney's life.

Our sources say for the first year, Jamie, Robin and Lou literally walked around with the bible in hand, proselytizing the word of God. We're told for a time they would only let Britney read religious material. And, we're told, there was a large measure of intolerance for anyone who wasn't a "good Christian."

Interestingly, Lynne Spears wrote in one of her books ... "Jamie was going to file for the conservatorship on January 22 [2008] ... but he and his business manager, Lou, felt God leading them to wait, fast and pray, despite the frustration of a phalanx of lawyers."

The religious push was on full display during the entire Circus Tour, we're told, but as the money cascaded in, religion sort of fell by the wayside and money became central to business management and the conservatorship ... so say our sources.

Tri Star was getting 5% of Britney's gross profits, and when she was performing that was an enormous amount of money. Fast forward to 2019 when Britney stopped performing. At some point, Taylor emailed Jamie and said the commissions had dwindled and she wanted a guarantee of $500,000 a year.

Some folks on the inside, including Britney's lawyer, Samuel Ingham, felt that was wrong, because when someone takes a percentage they tend to make more than they should for a certain period and less for other periods, but it evens out. People said some insiders felt Lou wanted it both ways. Jamie, however, didn't feel that way, and approved the $500k floor, which greatly upset some people involved.

Ray J is in bad shape, struggling to breathe as he battles pneumonia in a Miami hospital ... it was so bad he thought he was going to die.

Ray J's manager, David Weintraub, tells TMZ Ray went into the hospital 4 days ago and doctors learned from the jump he was battling pneumonia. David looped Ray in on the call and we spoke to him for several minutes, and it was apparent he wasn't out of the woods.

Ray told us ... when he was admitted doctors assumed he had COVID, so they placed him in the COVID wing of the hospital, which he said was frightening, telling us, "I thought it was over. I started praying and knew God is good so I just kept praying."

He says he was given 5 COVID tests, all of which came back negative, and after 2 days he was moved out of the COVID wing.

He's currently getting oxygen but he still has difficulty breathing and talking. He says when he wakes up at 6 AM he feels like he could go home, but by 6:30 things deteriorate and he fears the worst.

Ray says all he thinks about is getting better so he can see his 2 kids. Weintraub says Ray will hopefully be out by week's end.

The cop who allegedly had too good of a time at Universal Studios Hollywood is now looking for work -- turns out, being accused of banging while on the clock will do that for ya.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the deputy who got caught on a hot mic apparently doing the dirty late last year -- near the Bates Motel, no less -- has been given his walking papers. After the brass at L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. looked into the incident, we're told they found he'd violated policy.

We're told the guy can appeal the firing if he wants -- but for now, he ain't gonna be reporting back to work anytime soon.

We broke the story ... cops say the deputy was ignoring calls from dispatchers, who were trying to tell him they could hear him having sex in or around his squad car -- with what sounds like a woman's moans audibly coming through loud and clear.

The Sheriff's Dept. says, "The administrative investigation has concluded regarding this incident. The administrative process is still unfolding and we are unable to share further detail at this time, but what we can say is Sheriff Alex Villanueva takes allegations of misconduct very seriously and expects peace officers to hold themselves to the highest moral and ethical standards."

Mark Zuckerberg has sounded off on the Facebook whistleblower, saying her testimony blatantly misrepresents what his company does ... and he's listed several examples he believes prove how her allegations "don't make any sense."

The Facebook founder responded late Tuesday to claims made by Frances Haugen in front of Congress earlier in the day, with an outright denial and series of counterpoints to her overall belief that Facebook puts profits over people, deepens divides and damages the mental health of the youth.

Zuckerberg writes ... "We care deeply about issues like safety, well-being and mental health. It's difficult to see coverage that misrepresents our work and our motives."

He then goes on to pick apart Haugen's points one by one, by listing all the ways he says Facebook prioritizes research, fighting harmful content, transparency and bringing people together.

Zuckerberg also refutes Haugen's most damaging allegation by saying, "At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritize profit over safety and well-being. That's just not true."

He adds ... "The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical. We make money from ads, and advertisers consistently tell us they don't want their ads next to harmful or angry content."

The Facebook founder also responds in great detail to Haugen's claims regarding teenage mental health and how social media negatively affects it. Zuckerberg claims the company is deeply committed to creating the opposite experience for young people, and even offers statistics to back it up.

He says ... "The research actually demonstrated that many teens we heard from feel that using Instagram helps them when they are struggling with the kinds of hard moments and issues teenagers have always faced."

Finally, Zuckerberg puts some heat on Congress to update internet regulations to aid in some of the problem areas of social media ... essentially saying it shouldn't be all on Facebook.

As we reported ... Haugen likened Facebook to Big Tobacco during her Tuesday testimony, and called on the government to step in.

Terrifying scene on the NHL ice Tuesday ... a referee needed to be taken away on a stretcher after he was hit in the head in an accidental collision with a player.

The scary moment all went down just before the Kings vs. Coyotes preseason game in L.A. ... when Arizona center Liam O'Brien ran into linesman Ryan Gibbons.

Video of the play showed O'Brien's shoulder went right into Gibbons' jaw ... causing the ref to immediately crumple to the ice in pain.

Gibbons stayed down motionless for several moments ... before trainers and medical personnel were able to get him on a stretcher and off to a nearby hospital.

According to The Athletic, Gibbons suffered a concussion ... but was, thankfully, discharged from the medical facility later in the evening.

It's unclear how long Gibbons -- who's been reffing games in the NHL since 2015 -- will be sidelined with the injury.

COVID-19 is still ruining spooky season traditions -- virtually killing off any chance of pumpkin carving on a popular Food Network show, and it's seriously pissing off fans.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... yes, as some eagle-eyed viewers have sourly noted during this season of "Halloween Wars," slicing up the traditional winter squash is NOT happening at the moment. And, we have more bad news ... it's gonna continue that way, at least for this year.

The reason ... we're told it's because of the pandemic, and the timing of production -- something that's out of the hands of showrunners, who are doing their best to adapt.

As you may or may not know, a lot of these shows film at different points in the year -- including 'HW,' which our sources say has often filmed well before Fall in years past ... where pumpkins were plentiful, and they were able to knife 'em to their heart's desire.

That, unfortunately, hasn't been the case this year ... and it's all due to COVID screwing up when and how TV networks have been able to shoot.

You can count "Halloween Wars" among the programs falling victim to that. We're told they weren't able to start filming until recently ... and, as a result, there was an actual shortage of pumpkins available for the competition. Seasonal demand, an already-stressed supply chain and new COVID-safety protocols for shows with group settings made it impossible to pull off on 'HW' this year.

It would appear procuring pumpkins, in the abundance needed for TV filming, is, apparently, more difficult than just heading down to your local patch set up in a grocery store parking lot.

In any case, our production sources tell us Food Network is happy with their final product, and the involvement of one Zak Bagans, who definitely brings the Halloween vibe home ... pumpkin or not.

2020 costume controversy be damned ... Deontay Wilder is still planning to wear a unique walkup 'fit for his trilogy fight with Tyson Fury, but TMZ Sports has learned it'll be "significantly lighter" this time around.

Wilder had -- at least partially -- blamed his extravagant pre-fight wardrobe for his last loss to Fury in Feb. 2020 ... saying the weight of his battery-powered laser attire affected his legs.

But, Wilder ain't quitting on the costume idea just because of that ... so say designers Cosmo and Donato, who tell us The Bronze Bomber already has a new, extravagant look ready to go for the fight this weekend.

C&D -- who created the 2020 piece and others for Wilder -- say they've designed a cool, yet "significantly lighter," outfit for the Oct. 9 tilt ... and promise there will be no issues whatsoever surrounding this one.

"It's going to be significantly lighter," Cosmo said, "So, we don't have any drama at all."

C&D tell us Deontay has already tried on the costume -- modeling it in their store two weeks ago -- and the fighter has made sure it'll have no effect on his ability to punch Fury on Saturday night.

"He looks so amazing," Cosmo tells us. "He was so happy ... The outfit fits perfectly and he's ready to slay!"

C&D wouldn't reveal the whole costume to us ... but they did say it took 3 weeks to make, and features a special red and black theme.

"It's red and black from the Nigerian tribe," Cosmo says. "The red means funeral -- it's going to be Tyson Fury's funeral the next fight."

Before this karate kid was a rap superstar with catchy hip-hop beats, he was just another sporty sweetie working his way up to a black belt in Chicago, Illinois.

This cute kid has been producing and recording hit songs that top the charts for nearly 2 decades in the music industry. You may recognize him as a solo act, but in 2007 he was one-third of a rap group with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

Fans may know him by his fun stage name, but his close friends and family refer to him as Wasalu Muhammad Jaco.

Brian Laundrie's neighbors are profiting off the media circus outside his home ... charging media outlets to set up in their yards after cops barred media from parking on the street.

Brian's neighbors seem super business savvy ... catering to the media with tents to shield them from the elements, internet access, chairs, water and of course, bathrooms.

As you can see, the cameras are now set up in several yards and driveways on the Laundries' block -- but the neighbors aren't giving away that space. We're told some are charging as much as $3500 per week!

With nonstop media coverage outside the Laundrie home ever since Gabby Petito was reported missing last month, cops recently tried to reduce the number of journalists flooding the street by banning them from parking there.

Renting space from neighbors would provide reporters parking access to get around that.

Tensions are also starting to boil over on the block ... with a fight breaking out between a neighbor and a protestor with a megaphone.

Chris Brown and Drake straight-up jacked another artist's work for their hit track "No Guidance" ... so claim a singer and producer in a new lawsuit.

Brandon Cooper, who goes by the stage name Mr. Cooper, and Timothy Valentine -- aka Drum'n Skillz -- are suing CB and Drake claiming "No Guidance" ripped off their work on a track called, "I Love Your Dress."

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Cooper and Valentine claim their song dropped 3 years before CB and Drake's "No Guidance" dropped in June 2019. Cooper and Valentine claim an analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook and rhythmic structure demonstrates that "No Guidance" was copied or, at the very least, principally derived from "I Love Your Dress."

Specifically, the singer and producer claim their track has the lyrics ... "She got it; she got it" repeated 16 times while CB's and Drake's has "You got it, girl; you got it" at least 11 times.

Cooper and Valentine claim even non-expert listeners can see and hear the similarities ... claiming Chris and Drake deliberately exploited "I Love Your Dress" and even taunted them with a lyric about "flew the coop," which Cooper claims is a play on his nickname, Coop.