Drugs & Alcohol

Colin Kroll, the CEO and co-founder of HQ Trivia, has died of an apparent drug overdose ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Kroll's girlfriend called police early Sunday and asked them to check up on him after she was unable to get in touch. Cops went to downtown Manhattan to do a welfare check, entered his apartment and found Kroll's body in his bedroom with drug paraphernalia nearby.

A police source tells TMZ at this point cops believe the drugs involved were cocaine and heroin.

Kroll was named CEO of HQ Trivia in 2018. He had previously been fired from Twitter after he was determined to be a "bad manager." Female employees claimed his behavior made them uncomfortable, however, no sexual harassment claims were ever filed.

HQ Trivia was having problems recently. It was steadily losing audience. In January, HQ was in the top 10 list of most downloaded iPhone games. It's now fluctuating between #250 and 500 in the U.S. Also, Kroll was dealing with an H.R. complaint by an HQ employee for his "aggressive management style."

Kroll was also the co-founder of Vine and was General Manager between 2013 and 2014. And, he was the Chief Technology Officer for Jetsetter. Prior to that, Kroll served as the Engineering Manager at Yahoo between 2007 to 2009.

Kroll was 34.

RIP

12/14 8:50 AM PT -- According to court records, Pump and his manager entered a not guilty plea for the misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct through their attorney.

12/14 6:50 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources now confirm Pump's story. The baggage handlers who were putting luggage in the baggage compartment smelled a strong odor of weed coming from a bag labeled Garcia -- Pump's government name. The captain then went to Pump and the rapper felt the pilot was being accusatory. The pilot eventually kicked Pump and his manager off the plane for being disruptive and it continued to get contentious in the terminal when cops were talking to them, so both were arrested for disorderly conduct. The bag, which was owned by a member of Pump's crew, was opened and NO DRUGS were inside.

6:15 PM PT -- A source connected with Pump tells TMZ, no drugs were found. The source says TSA flagged a bag that smelled like weed and was "mistagged." Agents questioned Pump, who insisted he was not carrying drugs. The source adds no drugs were found in the bag, which another person in Pump's crew said was his. Pump was arrested along with his manager because they allegedly became disorderly during the argument with TSA agents.

Lil Pump's flight to L.A. was cut short -- as in, he never got off the ground because TSA allegedly found drugs in his luggage ... TMZ has learned.

Pump was flying from Miami Thursday afternoon, and our sources say he and his crew had all boarded the flight, but before it pushed back from the gate ... a flight attendant told them there was a problem.

We're told Pump and co. were booted off the flight, and cops met them in the terminal to question Pump about what 2 airline sources said were drugs found in a checked bag with his name on it.

The flight was delayed over an hour, and we're told cops are talking to Pump right now.

Story developing ...

Mike Tyson says he had smoked marijuana in the hours before his famous 2000 fight against Andrew Golota ... but claims it was the ONLY time he was ever high on weed during a bout.

The boxing legend appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" to talk about his new pot business when Dan asked him how long he'd been using cannabis.

"All my life basically," Tyson said ... before admitting he got high before the "Showdown in Motown."

Tyson said he had smoked before he got in the locker room and when Patrick asked how it affected him during the fight, Mike had a pretty classic answer ...

"It didn't affect me. It affected Golota."

Remember, Tyson famously dominated that fight -- with Golota refusing to get off his stool and continue the match after taking a beating in the first 3 rounds.

After the match, Tyson tested positive for marijuana and was fined $200,000.

He later blamed the failed test on the fact he couldn't find his "whizzer" -- a fake penis loaded with clean urine that helps people beat drug tests.

Tyson was eventually stripped of the victory because of the dirty test -- and it was officially put on his boxing record as a "no contest."

Ex-'Love & Hip Hop' star Benzino is not mincing words ... he's adamant racists are behind the serious drug charges he's facing but vows to fight back.

Benzino wanted to address the story we broke ... that cops busted him in Cobb County, GA -- in January 2017 -- and hit him with a slew of charges: felony possession of THC oil gummies, felony possession of 6 MDMA pills and misdemeanor possession of less than an ounce of weed.

He's facing up to 15 years in prison, but Benzino calls the charges trumped up from "one of the most racists counties, not just in Georgia, but in America." He still believes cops had no right to raid his penthouse, even though a judge ruled cops legally obtained a search warrant.

Ex-'Love & Hip Hop' star Benzino is in the battle of his life right now, but nobody knew it.

We've learned Benzino was arrested back in January 2017 and charged with felony possession of THC oil gummies (22 grams), felony possession of 6 MDMA pills and misdemeanor possession of less than an ounce of weed.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, cops executed a search warrant at the producer's ATL apartment and found the drugs in drawers and on the kitchen counters. He was arrested and posted $12k bail. Benzino's legal team argued the search was illegal, but a judge ruled cops searched the pad legally.

Fast forward to now ... we're told Benzino's legal team will learn Wednesday in court when the case is headed to trial ... which could be as soon as next month, if he doesn't cop a plea.

If convicted, Benzino could face up to 15 years behind bars.

Charlie Sheen says he's hit a milestone of sobriety -- and he's got a shiny AA coin to mark the occasion.

The former "Two and a Half Men" star posted a photo Tuesday of a sobriety coin, given to members of Alcoholics Anonymous to mark their progress.

Presumably -- from the looks of the celebratory token -- Charlie appears to have been off booze for at least a year.

He captioned his post ... "so THIS happened yesterday! a fabulous moment, in my renewed journey. #TotallyFocused."

Charlie has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for a long time, telling Dr. Oz in 2016 that he fell off the wagon after learning he'd been diagnosed with HIV in 2012. At the time, he said his most recent rehab stint was a "relief," and described himself as "focused, sober, hopeful."

Unclear if Charlie relapsed since then -- we were told last year that he mostly stays away from alcohol as part of his new vegan health kick -- but it seems he's fully off the sauce now.

The sober streak is over for Dennis Rodman -- the NBA star admits he fell off the wagon and had started drinking again ... but now says he's still focused on cutting booze out of his life.

Rodman entered rehab after a DUI arrest back in January -- and has openly talked about the difficulties of going sober.

He slipped up in the past 2 weeks and hit the bar scene in Newport Beach, CA -- but tells TMZ Sports it was a mistake and he's now going back to AA meetings in the hopes of staying sober.

Rodman says he had stopped going to meetings because they got boring -- hey, at least he's honest.

But, after he started drinking again, Rodman reached out to his agent, Darren Prince (who's also battled substance abuse but is now going on 10 years sober) and his AA sponsor and asked them for help.

Rodman says he was ultimately convinced to go back to the meetings and already feels like he's making progress.

"It's a long process and it's gonna take time to get over the hump," Rodman says.

Rodman has been to rehab before -- once in 2014 ... and he was also featured on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" back in 2010.

We spoke with Rodman's agent, Darren Prince, who tells us, "Dennis is the king of rebounds and he'll rebound from this too."

Lil Xan briefly left his rehab facility to prepare for his post-rehab living arrangements ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the rapper tell us ... Lil Xan left rehab Saturday in order to go sign papers for a new house he bought in his hometown of Redlands, CA. The new crib is where he'll set up shop once he's completed in-patient treatment. We're told he'll have round-the-clock staff monitoring him to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Xan wasn't allowed to fly solo for the house mission ... we're told a nurse from the rehab center accompanied him. After signing the house documents, he headed back to rehab on Sunday.

Remember, he just checked himself in last weekend to begin treatment, and our sources say he'll be there about another week. After that, he'll shift to outpatient treatment at home. We're told his new place has a studio, so he'll be able to work on new music. His album "Be Safe" -- inspired by his hero, Mac Miller, is set to drop next month.

Xan had told us in mid-November he was immediately heading to rehab -- but he didn't begin until December. His camp says a scheduling mix-up with the facility caused the delay.

12:25 PM PT -- A rep for Ty Dolla $ign tells TMZ ... "[Ty] understands from his attorney Steve Sadow that the indictment in Fulton County, Georgia is merely the next mandatory procedural step in the process of resolving Ty's case in that particular criminal justice system, and one more step closer to finally bringing this matter to a close. It was expected by Ty’s legal counsel and came as no surprise whatsoever."

The rep added, "Ty maintains his innocence and there is no indication to the contrary. It’s also very important to note that Ty’s jewelry and cash seized from him upon his arrest in September 2018 was ordered returned to him last week ... another clear sign that this matter is coming to a close soon."

Ty Dolla $ign's staring down the possibility of more than a decade in prison now that a grand jury's indicted him on drug charges that include felony possession of cocaine.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the rapper has been slapped with 3 counts -- felony possession of cocaine, felony possession of THC and misdemeanor possession of less than 1 ounce of weed.

Mind you, this went down in Fulton County, GA where drug laws are way stiffer than Cali. If convicted, he could get up to 15 years in prison.

TMZ broke the story ... Ty Dolla was busted by cops in Atlanta who allegedly found drugs in his bag. His arrest was a pretty crazy scene -- drug dogs were barking like crazy before cops slap the cuffs on Ty.

Before that, cops paraded his entire crew -- which included Skrillex that day -- outta their limo van and searched them. Ty was the only one who got busted.

Demi Lovato's got a lot to celebrate these days, not the least of which being her growing romance with Henry Levy.

The singer and the clothing designer hit up Nobu in Malibu Saturday night. Demi just got a Grammy nomination for her song with Christina Aguilera, "Fall in Line" -- and, by all accounts, she's healthy and continuing to recover from her nearly fatal overdose over the summer.

TMZ broke the story ... she and Henry started hanging out in early November. We got a shot of them at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills ... holding hands and having a great time.

At the time, sources told us they were mostly supporting each other in sobriety, but seems like it's now blossomed into a full-fledged relationship.

And, we have a winner -- Lil Wayne and Kanye West snatched the prize for dopest nightclub appearance in a weekend filled with celeb appearances in Miami.

The hip-hop legends came together Saturday night at Story Nightclub, and the crowd was as hyped as you'd expect. Weezy was the scheduled performer, but fans got a bonus rap genius when Ye showed up to kick it for a while in VIP.

Sooo ... what do 2 gods talk about? Not a hell of a lot, it turns out.

The duo mostly nodded their heads to the beat. Who can hear anyone over the music, anyway, right?

But, Kanye -- who performed Thursday night in Miami at an XXXTentacion tribute show -- was smiling and seemed to enjoy himself. Wayne was puffing on a blunt and looked chill as ever.

Lance Armstrong is still pissed that fellow admitted cheater Alex Rodriguez has essentially been forgiven by society while he's still considered a villain -- since Lance says he's done WAY more to help people.

"A-Rod didn't raise half a BILLION dollars and try to save people's lives," Armstrong said on the "Today" show ... obviously referring to the work he did with the Livestrong foundation.

Armstrong then threw even more shade at the baseball player ... sarcastically saying, "Look, it's great when somebody hits home runs and maybe does an event here and there for the Boys & Girls Club."

Armstrong has previously griped about A-Rod ... telling "Freakonomics Radio" back in July, "The one key thing is that Alex Rodriguez was allowed to come back and play. And, Alex Rodriguez was part of a team sport. And thirdly, Alex Rodriguez never stood for anything else other than baseball."

Lil Pump's out of the pokey after spending a day locked up in Denmark, and officials there are making it clear ... they don't want him coming 'round there no more.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us he was released from police custody Wednesday morning. We broke the story ... cops in Copenhagen busted his crew Tuesday for holding something illegal, and decided to detain them longer after Pump live streamed the incident and flipped the bird at an officer.

Turns out, the "illegal" thing was weed ... so Pump and his pals had to pay a fine between $700-800 before they got sprung.

We're told they've been asked to leave the country. They obliged and are now on their way to Oslo for Lil Pump's next show.

Former "America's Next Top Model" contestant Jael Strauss dedicated her life to helping people struggling with addiction before she lost her battle with cancer earlier this week.

An employee at Solstice Recovery Foundation near Austin, TX, who worked there with Jael, tells TMZ the ex-model was heavily involved in the rehab center's efforts -- volunteering to help folks, especially women, fight drug addiction.

We're told Jael would often spearhead online fundraisers to provide scholarships to those needing treatment. She'd also share her own story of recovery as inspiration for patients.

Jael's kindness was reciprocated this past October shortly after she announced she'd been diagnosed with incurable, stage 4 breast cancer.

The Solstice employee tells us her friends quickly organized the "F**k Cancer-Love Like Jael" fundraiser for her, and raised around $8,000 for her treatment costs.

During the fundraiser, people who donated $20-$50 could get free tattoos that said "F**k Cancer" or "Jael Love." We're told about 20 people got them.

We broke the story ... Jael died in hospice Tuesday, just 2 months after being diagnosed with cancer. We're told she stopped chemotherapy around Halloween.

Move over, "Mob Wives" ... there's a new show getting ready to mark its territory on VH1 with ties to drug cartels.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... VH1 is done casting for its non-scripted show that will feature people whose family is closely associated with the drug trade. We're told one person who made the cut is Michael Corleone Blanco -- the son of the notorious gangster, Griselda Blanco -- aka "The Godmother of Cocaine."

If VH1 wanted a member closely associated to the cartels, look no further than Michael Corleone Blanco, whose mom was Pablo Escobar's inspiration.

For the uninitiated, Griselda -- also nicknamed "The Godmother of the Medellin Cartel" -- reigned terror in Miami during the cocaine wars of the 70s and 80s. She reportedly ordered hits on hundreds and served nearly 2 decades behind bars in the U.S. for drug trafficking and 3 murders.

Griselda -- who once allegedly plotted to kidnap JFK Jr. -- was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie "Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story." She was eventually deported to Colombia and gunned down 6 years ago outside a butcher shop in Medellin.

Lil Xan has just checked himself into rehab.

The rapper's girlfriend, Annie, posted Sunday on Xan's Instagram account "Diego was just admitted into his first treatment." She went on to say, "He loves each and every one of you sending good wishes and prayers to him. We thank you all so very much for all of the love and support you are sending his way."

As for why it took until now for Xan to check into rehab -- after announcing his intentions back on November 15 -- we're told the facility where he was supposed to check himself in had a mix-up with patients staying longer than initially anticipated. The small hiccup has now been resolved ... allowing Xan to check himself in.

As we reported ... Xan came on "TMZ Live" and explained why was heading to rehab. He told us he's been struggling on and off with opioids and needs treatment to help him get over the hump.

You'll recall, Xan reached out to us after we broke the story about Mac's cause of death and he opened up about his own current struggles.