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Tommy DeBarge -- a member of the R&B/funk band Switch -- and part of the music industry's famed DeBarge family has died.

A family member tells us Tommy has suffered from liver and kidney failure over the years, but recently took a turn for the worse. We're told he was hospitalized a couple weeks ago, and died in the hospital Thursday.

DeBarge rose to fame in Switch in the mid to late '70s -- the group recorded hits like "There'll Never Be," "I Call Your Name" and "Love Over & Over Again."

Tommy and his brother, Bobby, were founding members of the group, which had a huge influence on future bands in the genre, including DeBarge ... the group composed of their siblings.

Bobby and Tommy left Switch to mentor their younger brothers and sister in DeBarge, but Bobby died of AIDS-related complications in 1995.

Tommy was 64.

RIP

Dave Chappelle's camp says no one from Netflix has approached Chapelle or his team about setting up a meeting or conversation ... which is the opposite of what the woman who organized the Netflix walkout claims.

The comedian's rep tells TMZ ... Dave would be open to dialogue if folks from Netflix actually reach out to him for a discussion.

As we reported ... Ashlee Marie Preston says she invited Dave to come to the table to talk about the damage she and others believe he's inflicted on the LGBTQ+ community, but she said, "Dave chose not to show up."

Dave's camp tells us they're unsure why Ashlee is making those claims ... they say she NEVER reached out to him. He's not against open dialogue with any group, as he points out in his Netflix special jokes.

Dave also makes this point in his special ... empathy should go both ways and we should get away from cancel culture ... so a sit down would make sense.

Paris Hilton is bringing her crusade against abuse at troubled teen camps to Capitol Hill and she says she's proud to be fighting on behalf of alleged victims like herself.

We got Paris heading into the Capitol and asked her about the feedback she's getting from her campaign to get laws on the books banning mistreatment at youth facilities.

Paris says the response has been amazing and she's honored to be the poster child for change in this area. She's also confident better days are ahead.

Paris, who recently helped get a law passed protecting teens in Utah, sat down with federal lawmakers Thursday, including Sen. Mitt Romney.

Seems Paris is making some inroads ... Romney says he's grateful to see Paris advocating on the federal level after getting things done back in Utah.

As we reported ... Paris says she endured years of abuse when she was a teen attending boarding school in Utah, and she got emotional earlier this year while laying out her case for reforms.

Jon Gruden is finally speaking out about his barrage of homophobic, sexist and misogynistic emails ... insinuating to a reporter this month there's more to the story.

"The truth will come out," Gruden said, according to NFL insider Andrea Kremer.

Kremer revealed the former Las Vegas Raiders head coach -- who stepped down from his role following the public release of his crass messages -- made the comments recently to one of her producers, who cold-called the coach for a story on Mark Davis that the two were working on.

"He's still in Las Vegas," Kremer said of what Gruden told the producer. "He said he's letting the dust settle. He said, 'People who know me know what I stand for, for 58 years. I have a resume of 58 years.'"

"He said, 'The truth will come out.'"

Kremer acknowledged the Gruden comment was "cryptic" ... but it seems the coach did not reveal anything further.

Kremer added that Jon also questioned whether the whole drama could spell the end of his coaching career.

Gruden hadn't spoken publicly since his 2011-to-2018 emails were made public ... only saying in a statement following his release from the Raiders, "I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone."

Jon Stewart has a message for everyone pissed off at Dave Chappelle -- he's asking them to pay attention to what's in his friend's heart ... as much as what comes out of his mouth.

We got Jon as he was leaving Capitol Hill, and asked for his take on the beef between Chappelle and Netflix employees who staged a walkout Wednesday. Jon thinks there's clearly been a miscommunication, and seemed confident both sides will squash the feud ... once they start talking.

The reason he's confident? Well, Jon -- who, ICYMI, is a close friend of Dave's -- says, "I know his intention is never hurtful. He's not that kinda person."

TMZ broke the story ... Dave's team says he's ready and willing to sit down with Netflix employees who are protesting their company continuing to stream "The Closer," Dave's latest standup special. One of those employees, Ashlee Marie Preston, claimed Dave had rejected a meeting ... but Dave's camp says he's totally down for it.

Speaking of people with good intentions ... Jon was in D.C. to continue lobbying lawmakers to approve medical benefits for military veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits.

Teresa Giudice went to Greece with a boyfriend, but she's coming back with a fiancé.

The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star just got engaged to her man, Luis Ruelas, on their European getaway. Luis popped the question at the Amanzoe Resort in Porto Heli, Greece.

According to People, he did the whole down on one knee thing while on the beach ... surrounded by candles, roses and a giant "Marry Me?" sign.

Sources tell us that before proposing, Luis went to Teresa's daughters for approval ... and they all gave their blessing.

The trip to Greece has been super romantic, even before Luis made it even more memorable for Teresa. They've been shacking up at the posh resort, going to spas, hitting the beach, dining out and doing helicopter tours.

Teresa and Luis have been creeping closer to wedding bells for a few months now. Remember, we got them out in Beverly Hills this summer and Luis told us 3 times he was planning to ask Teresa for her hand in marriage.

At the time, some thought he was just saying it because our photog kinda put him on the spot, but Luis obviously meant it.

The couple started dating last year -- they met at the Jersey Shore -- after she'd finalized her divorce from Joe Giudice ... ending 20 years of marriage.

Here's what Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie looked like on one of their final road trip stops ... and the pictures might be the last photos of them together.

The images were snapped back on the morning of Aug. 10, when Gabby and Brian were touring the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.

It's the same scenic outlook where Gabby posted a pic on social media showing her and Brian kissing on the famous arch.

As you can tell from the never-before-seen photos ... Gabby and Brian look to be having a good time as they walk down the base of the arch.

Brian's smiling as Gabby takes a drink from her water jug ... but we now know what happened later during their cross-country road trip.

Gabby posted photos from that day on her Instagram, including one of her and Brian kissing.

Brian infamously returned home without her and her body was found in another national park 3 weeks later, with authorities saying she was strangled to death.

President Joe Biden has taken heat for his comments this weekend that he wants to spend MORE on policing -- not defunding the police as some have advocated -- and one of his top advisors says if Biden had his way several years ago, Alton Sterling would be alive today.

Cedric Richmond was on TMZ Live Thursday to outline the Prez's agenda when it comes to improvements he wants to make in training American police forces. Biden recently raised eyebrows among supporters when he said he did not want to defund the police, but instead, build them up.

Richmond says Biden wants to put more money behind cops, but spend it on things like body cams, better training and even mental health experts within departments.

Richmond tells us community policing -- where officers take the time to meet and learn about members of a community -- can potentially be life-saving ... using the killing of Alton Sterling as an example of a life that could have been spared with better policing.

A 20-year-old Tufts University lacrosse player has died ... after she tragically choked during a hot dog eating contest over the weekend.

Madelyn "Madie" Nicpon -- a junior on the Jumbos' lax squad -- was participating in a competitive eating event off-campus on Saturday when something went horribly wrong.

According to The Journal News ... authorities said Nicpon fell unconscious after choking, and was rushed to the hospital after first responders got to the scene.

Sadly, Nicpon passed away just a day later on Sunday.

"In the face of this painful loss," school officials said in a statement, "our hearts go out to Madie's family and friends."

Thousands of students came out to the campus to mourn the loss of Nicpon shortly after her death Sunday evening ... surrounding her jersey with candles and remembering her fondly.

"We are beyond heartbroken to share the news of the passing of junior Madie Nicpon -- 'Scooter,'" the Tufts lax team wrote on Instagram. "Scooter was a true friend and teammate. She truly valued her relationships with her teammates and coaches."

"Her reach was far beyond our team -- she was a true connector on campus and touched every single person she met."

They added, "We love you, Scooter. Keep dancing from above."

Nicpon had played in several games in her first two years for the Jumbos, and was expected to be a key contributor this season.

Meghan McCain is pissing off some of her old bosses with her scathing assessment of her tortured time on "The View" -- because they believe it's the exact opposite of how she's framing things.

Sources close to the production tell TMZ ... ABC honchos are furious about Meghan's new memoir, and the subsequent interviews she's recently done -- characterizing "The View" as a toxic work environment, full of coworkers/cohosts who despised her.

We're told there are many points of dissent -- for instance, ABC execs say the notion Meghan left on her own volition is wrong, and ditto for her claim everybody except her was oozing toxicity.

Our sources tell us Meghan was essentially forced out of her role after an internal investigation into the environment she describes -- which we're told was, in fact, real ... but mostly due to Meghan's behavior on and off camera, not her coworkers' -- other way around.

Our sources say new ABC chief, Kim Godwin, did a thorough investigation -- meeting with key stakeholders of the show, like talent and producers -- and in the end, we're told she found Meghan was the source of a lot of the in-fighting that ultimately played out on the show ... something Godwin had to address head-on in an emergency Zoom meeting.

Those on-camera blow-ups are well-documented, and even though a lot of the hosts are often seen bickering ... we're told many at ABC feel Meghan was, more often than not, the instigator of these arguments -- or she was the one who kept them going longer.

We should say, however, there are some execs at ABC who have confided in TMZ, telling us the environment was hostile and the bullying is what led to McCain's exit ... so clearly, not all honchos feel the same way.

As for her departure ... our sources didn't have details on the negotiations behind the exit, but we're told the bottom line is it wasn't simply her decision after hitting a breaking point. The network was ready to move on too.

Of course, we're told this was a long time coming ... as many at ABC apparently felt the old boss, James Goldston, didn't have the stones to give MM the boot earlier, because he allegedly feared a conservative backlash.

Now that Meghan's gone ... our sources say the mood on set is way better, and people at home can see it for themselves. The temperature in the room, we're told, has lowered. Not just that, but the ratings are steady ... with the show remaining #1 on daytime TV.

Dave Chappelle's living it up, seemingly without a concern, 'cause here he is walking out of a packed London nightclub ... the same day Netflix employees walked out of work to protest him.

The comedian hit up the super exclusive Annabel's nightclub Wednesday night ... partying at the members-only spot while the controversy over his latest Netflix special kept swirling back home

Safe to say, Dave doesn't look like he's feeling the heat from across the pond.

As we reported, Netflix HQ was the scene of a mass protest Wednesday, when employees staged a walkout to show displeasure with the CEO's decision to keep streaming Dave's special, "The Closer."

There's been a ton of backlash over Dave's LGBTQ+ jokes, but so far, he doesn't seem bothered.

Ashlee Marie Preston, who helped organize the Netflix walkout, says she's invited Dave to have a conversation about the harm she and others believe he's inflicted onto the LGBTQ+ community, but claims he's ghosted them.

Brian Laundrie's parents are "heartbroken" after their family attorney says remains found off a Florida trail almost certainly belong to their son.

Steven Bertolino, who has repped the Laundrie family for weeks now, told CNN's Chris Cuomo Wednesday, "the probability is strong, that it is Brian's remains" found by the FBI.

Bertolino says Laundrie's parents contacted authorities Tuesday night to let them know they wanted to search the trail Wednesday, and the finding of his belongings was a total coincidence.

The FBI said in a press conference Wednesday that the area where Brian's backpack and notebook were found near what appeared to be human remains was previously under water. Authorities have not yet identified the remains, and say investigative teams will be in the area for several days gathering evidence.

Bertolino told Cuomo, "It's quite sad, you can imagine as a parent, finding your son's belonging alongside from the remains. That's got to be heartbreaking. And I can tell you that they are heartbroken."

Bertolino says Laundrie's dad, Chris, first found a white bag in the woods about 20 feet off the trail ... and shortly after, law enforcement discovered Brian's backpack.

It all raises the question ... how did Laundrie's dad zero in on something the FBI couldn't find for more than a month?

Kate Beckinsale had a super-interesting chit-chat with Howard Stern on Wednesday's show ... she said her off-the-charts IQ has actually damaged her career.

Howard did an excellent job of mining for gold, knowing that Kate was extremely brainy. He pushed to know where Kate landed on the IQ spectrum, and Kate either didn't remember or didn't want to say.

But Howard pressed, and eventually, Kate called her mom for a memory jog. Mom came through and revealed Kate's IQ was a VERY impressive 152.

Now the conversation turns, because Kate says doctors told her she'd be a lot happier if she were 30% less smart. Howard's response is hilarious.

And then, Kate dropped the bombshell ... that her smarts have actually hurt her career. She didn't really explain how, other than the intimation she doesn't suffer fools.

Howard wanted to know how that affects her dating life, especially when the man doesn't measure up in the cerebrum department.

Kate doesn't name names, but she does say she can forgive a lot if the dude is funny.

Snoop Dogg celebrating old school music and style is nothing new, but Snoop doing that for his 50th birthday is -- and everything about his party was true to the game ... including his badass surprise gift.

Snoop, decked out in a tuxedo, top hat and fur coat -- led the fashion parade for the bash at his Inglewood compound. Guests like Jamie Foxx, Usher, Nelly and T.I. were rocking their own styles that screamed old school playas ball.

The man himself was over the moon about the gift his family delivered to the party -- a fully restored 1955 Chevy Impala.

Snoop was grinning from ear-to-ear when he slid behind the wheel of the new copper whip with matching interior.

Inside the party, with more than 300 of his closest friends, Snoop got on the mic for a little bit ... but mostly got to enjoy comedic and musical performances from other people.

Not all of Snoop's pals could make it to the party -- Martha Stewart posted a 50th birthday message for her partner in pot culture ... and it was fully lit. Complete with a shoutout to Bic lighters. Naturally.

BTW, even before last night's event -- which kept rockin' to the early morn -- Snoop had treated himself to another sweet ride.

Jon Stewart is the kind of guy who seems good at everything ... but sometimes even he takes an L ... which he confessed to in the middle of some serious pizza talk!!!

Stewart was out in NYC Wednesday night when he bro'd down with the photog over the best Jersey Shore pizza. Seems Jon spent the summer on the shore, and journalist Adam Glyn had some serious suggestions on the best pie, and Jon made it clear -- he's always on the hunt for a great pizza.

The convo went from food to failure ... when Jon was asked about bombing hard during a comedy set. You'd think Stewart never experienced the heartbreak of dead silence, but that was not the case.

So, where did Jon bomb ... at one of the most iconic venues in these United States of America -- Radio City Music Hall.

Scott Disick's getting steamrolled by his ex-GF's mom and all her friends ... as Lisa Rinna reveals what really led up to his breakup with her daughter, Amelia Hamlin.

Lisa spilled the tea during the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" reunion ... telling Andy Cohen it was Amelia who broke up with Scott, and not the other way around. The smile and laughter when she said it was pretty telling too.

As for why her 20-year-old daughter ditched the 38-year-old Lord Disick ... LR said Scott didn't help matters with his DM diss of Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker.

While Lisa didn't say Amelia had an issue with the age difference ... it's clear it mattered a lot for Lisa and all her 'RHOBH' costars -- who, one-by-one, teed off on Disick dating such a young woman.

Kyle Richards was asked if her pals in the Kardashian family ever confronted her about all the jabs she'd made about Scott. She said they didn't, but admitted, "I did feel bad about it right after, because, you know, I do know all of them."