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Bret "Epic" Mazur -- who formed Crazy Town with Shifty Shellshock -- talked to his late ex-bandmate a few months before he died ... and says SS seemed upbeat about the future.

We caught up with Epic Tuesday in the studio -- and he tells TMZ ... Shifty was actually stoked about making new music when they last spoke over the phone, and there was no indication Shifty was in a bad space, or going through something out of the ordinary.

TMZ broke the story ... cops are looking into Shifty's sudden death Monday as a possible fatal overdose. But based on what his former bandmate's saying here ... Seth was far from that reality.

Gayle King's continuing to stick by Justin Timberlake through his DWI drama ... slamming cancel culture for pouncing on people over one misstep, which is what she considers this.

We caught Gayle King in NYC Tuesday, and she reiterated her stance that initially caught flak -- namely, defending JT. While she doesn't condone drunk driving, which she clarified again here, she also says this doesn't make Justin a reckless or irresponsible person.

Gayle admits it was (allegedly) a huge blunder on JT's part -- but she thinks he's genuinely regretful ... even though his attorney has telegraphed a different vibe. Either way ... GK's tired of trying to cancel people so freaking quickly over single, high-profile slip-ups.

Kenya Moore is officially putting down her peach for this next season at least -- 'cause she ain't coming back to 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' ... and this could possibly turn ugly.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kenya will not return as a cast member for the rest of production for the new season (16) after she was sidelined indefinitely for allegedly unveiling sexually explicit posters of newcomer Brittany Eady seemingly performing oral sex.

Now, we're told Kenya has not been fired from 'RHOA' ... instead, we're told both sides have agreed she's just gonna take a break from the show for now. Our sources say Bravo is keeping the door open for a future return -- however, we're also told Kenya is considering legal options at this point ... because she's not happy with how this whole mess unfolded.

Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock's sudden death is under investigation ... and law enforcement sources tell us cops are looking into the possibility of a fatal drug overdose.

We're told police and fire responded to Shifty's L.A. area home Monday afternoon, after someone stopped by the house and found his body on the floor.

Our sources say drug paraphernalia and a lighter were found near the body ... which is why police are treating his death as a possible OD.

Paul Mitchell's son's death remains shrouded in mystery -- because even though we now know how he died ... it's still unclear exactly what led up to it, and why.

TMZ has obtained the police report and medical examiner's report for Angus Mitchell's death case in Hawaii -- and the paperwork certainly sheds more light on what happened before AM passed away ... as well as what went into trying to save him.

According to the docs, cops say witnesses told them Angus had been partying with friends the night before he was found at the bottom of the pool at his Honolulu home ... but nobody had a clear explanation on what led up to him getting into the water and never reemerging.

Disney ain't gonna be singing "YMCA" anytime soon -- 'cause the wife of the most famous member of the Village People is taking the entertainment behemoth to court ... alleging they blackballed the band from booking gigs at its theme parks.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Karen Willis -- the wife of Victor Willis and manager of the VP trademark for live performances -- filed suit against the Mouse House late last year for what she claims was outright hostile treatment of her hubby and another original member.

The issue all stems from a couple performances Willis says the Village People were hired for in 2018 -- when she says Disney booked 'em to do their thing at Disney World in FL.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is gearing up for round two of his epic pizza party on steroids ... running back his successful One Bite Pizza Festival in the city that never sleeps -- New York City!!!

El Pres spoke with TMZ Sports about the upcoming event on Randall's Island in Manhattan -- which is slated to go down on September 14. One of the significant differences from last year is that there will be two sessions at a bigger venue -- allowing even more pizza lovers to experience all the great joints Portnoy raves about.

Dave said the first time around was better than he ever could have imagined. But if there was one thing he could change?

The rookie cop who arrested Justin Timberlake for DWI is soaking up summer in the Hamptons ... and doesn't seem the least bit concerned by his newfound fame.

Michael Arkinson -- the Sag Harbor police officer who pulled over Justin and took him to jail -- spent his Sunday Funday on a boat, about an hour north of where he busted JT. If you didn't know, he and his partner, Otis, are cited in the police report as the arresting officers ... but Mike's getting credit as the guy who brought Justin in for booking.

Anyway ... check out these photos/videos, obtained by TMZ, showing a sometimes shirtless Arkinson sitting in a power boat docked at a restaurant in Greenport, NY over the weekend.

A James Bond fan looking to pay his respects to Roger Moore is revealing a troubling discovery -- the late 007's resting place has been vandalized ... TMZ has learned.

The fan -- who wants to remain anonymous -- tells TMZ he stopped by the Cimetière de Monaco, a small exclusive cemetery in La Colle, Monaco, and tried to find the late actor's tombstone last week. He was looking for the burial site's unique marker ... a large family crest.

Well, he found the grave -- but also found the large shield representing Moore's family has been ripped off ... and he snapped pics of the bare gravestone to prove it.

The man who was viciously stabbed in an altercation with ex-wrestling star 2 Cold Scorpio is lucky to be alive ... with TMZ Sports obtaining horrific images of the aftermath of the June 15 incident.

As we previously reported, the former WCW Tag Team Champion told cops he was working a security shift at a Love's Travel Stop in Kanas City, Mo. ... when an argument with a patron over a cigarette turned physical.

58-year-old 2 Cold Scorpio -- real name Charles Scaggs -- told authorities he used a knife out of self-defense ... claiming the man threatened him and tried to grapple.

Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated or otherwise under the influence during a concert last month -- this despite the internet thinking they found a gotcha clip ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... a resurfaced viral video that appears to show JT looking what some have suggested is "under the influence" or out of sorts is simply being over-analyzed way too much by folks looking to unfairly condemn the guy.

While online trolls have said Justin looks out of sorts in this clip -- which was filmed and posted in May during one of his Vegas concerts, and which has since gone viral in the wake of his DWI arrest -- our sources tell us he wasn't even close to that state of mind.

Jennifer Lopez is becoming super relatable amid her marital woes with Ben Affleck ... getting back to her Jenny From The Block roots with some commercial air travel.

Check out these photos/video, obtained by TMZ, showing J Lo's mode of transportation over in Europe ... and no, this ain't a private jet -- it's a regular old airplane full of a bunch of normies, on which she flew Saturday going from Naples to Paris.

The singer/actress was in the cabin with everyone else, and had a bodyguard sitting next to her ... taking up aisle duty while she occupied the window seat, minding her business.

50 Cent will be front and center for the Earn Your Leisure's Invest Fest in Atlanta -- TMZ Hip Hop can reveal the booming businessman is this year's headliner!!!

The event is right up 50's alley ... he and attorney Ben Crump recently went to Washington, D.C. in the name of Black entrepreneurship, pushing for minority representation in the alcohol biz ... and we're told he'll speak to that topic and much more during the annual event.

Even more fittingly, 50 will succeed Diddy, who hosted last year's Invest Fest, and we all know how "competitive" he's been with Puff for years, and especially lately ... in the wake of the latter's slew of legal issues.

Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is one of the hottest tracks on the planet, and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. says a diss track winning a Grammy might not be conventional ... but now it's definitely possible!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke with the Grammy czar Monday at LAX, where he told us he's been feeling the cultural avalanche of "Not Like Us," just like everyone else is.

K. Dot shot the music video in Compton over the weekend, and its release will inevitably breathe new life into the song -- which, while being extremely danceable, is still primarily, a huge shot at Drake.

Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" video went down in Compton over the weekend without a stitch of negativity ... and Jason Martin was there and witnessed all the love and harmony.

The "Like Whaaat" rapper joined TMZ Live on Monday to run back the whirlwind of events that culminated this past week for rap's biggest moments of the year ... which capped off with a music video shoot for K.Dot's West Coast anthem.

JM was a featured performer at Kendrick's Pop-Out concert last week ... and he and Kendrick grew up in the area where "Not Like Us" was filmed -- so, based on his experience, it was as safe as could be ... even for those who weren't from the neighborhood.

Aaron Carter was worth a fair bit of money when he died -- and we're now getting a sense of just how much dough there was in his pot ... a 6-figure amount, at least.

The late singer's estate filed new court docs, obtained by TMZ, laying out a partial inventory and appraisal that puts a dollar amount on what they say Aaron's estate was worth ... based on what they've been able to appraise thus far.

The estate says Aaron's valuables/assets are worth an estimated $757,400 ... as of April 2023.