Health

Longtime NBA referee Ken Mauer says he was forced out of the league ... after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine due to religious reasons.

The 36-year NBA veteran joined Jason Whitlock on his show, "Fearless"... and revealed the reason he's been MIA from the hardwood this year is because of the league's vax mandate.

“I never thought that my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ would prevent me or stop me or get in the way of me refereeing NBA basketball games. That’s what’s happened,” Mauer said. “Not to just me, but other people.”

Mauer -- who was raised Catholic -- told the BlazeTV host that after doing his own research he has concerns about the jab -- explaining he believes aborted fetal tissue was used in the development of the vax.

The 66-year-old told Whitlock that as many as 17 referees initially opposed the vax mandate that the NBA included in the collective bargaining agreement before the season started.

FYI, there is currently no vaccine mandate for players.

Ken also said many of his colleagues didn't want to take the vaccine ... but ultimately felt forced to get jabbed because their livelihood and ability to provide for their family was at stake.

"There are many referees who were forced to because they have children, they have families, and they have bills to pay," Mauer said. "They’re scared and I’m not. I’m never going to take the vaccine."

Mauer expressed no regrets over his decision to remain unvaccinated ... and says he thinks it's a shame workers across the country are being bullied into getting the shot.

Gary Brooker, the singer who put '60s British rock group Procol Harum on the map with an iconic hit of the 'Summer of Love,' is skipping the light fandango in heaven now.

Gary died Saturday after battling cancer according to a statement released by the band. They say their lead singer and pianist died peacefully at his home.

Procol Harum is best remembered for their 1967 hit, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" -- it was co-written by Gary, and became an anthem of the famous 'Summer of Love' in San Francisco.

The Hammond organ-heavy track is one of those '60s hits everyone kinda knows when ya hear it -- and the lyrics and their meaning have long been debated in rock history.

Just a sample:
"One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might have just as well've been closed"

Most critics and fans agree the haunting song is about a psychedelic or drunken sexual encounter. Let's face it ... there were lots of those back in '67 when Procol Harum formed!

The song's been covered by other artists countless times, and the OG single sold more than 10 million copies. The band broke up in 1977, but reunited in the '90s and continued to perform here and there until 2018.

Brooker's bandmates said, "The single defining constant of the band's 50-year career, Gary's voice and piano playing was legendary and he leaves behind a legacy that will last for generations. He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him."

Matthew Stafford says he feels awful about the way he reacted to a photog falling off the stage at the Rams' Super Bowl rally ... revealing he personally reached out to her to apologize.

As we previously reported, Kelly Smiley fractured her spine after attempting to take a pic of Matthew and his wife last week ... and the QB was captured on video quickly turning around and walking away.

Stafford was criticized for how he handled the situation ... with some people saying he should have stepped in to help out.

Matthew and his wife discussed the incident from their perspective on Kelly's "The Morning After" podcast this week ... and she says the QB DID show concern.

"Matthew looked at me and said 'check her please,' and turned around," Kelly said .... adding he personally texted the photog afterwards.

"That obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly and I wish I had a better reaction in the moment," Matthew added. "I didn’t. I apologized to her for that. But I’m glad that all in all she’s doing all right."

BTW -- the Staffords and Rams will be paying for Smiley's broken camera equipment and medical bills.

There's more -- Matthew and Kelly also talk about just how awful their hungover Disneyland trip was ... and the convo will make you wanna drink a ton of water.

"Disney is a beautiful, amazing place when you are sober," Kelly said. "When you are hungover and when you are still a little tipsy, not so much. If you didn’t have kids, maybe it would be a little more fun."

"The Wendy Williams Show" is no more ... and it will become "Sherri."

Wendy has been dealing with serious health issues for months now. TMZ broke the story, the TV honchos that carry the show said Sherri Shepherd became the permanent guest host and they were monitoring Wendy's heath and, if it didn't get better, the change would become permanent.

Now, the show's producers said Tuesday, "This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at Fox. We all have great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on 'Hot Topics' and interviewing celebrities."

As for Sherri, she's tried and true ... appearing on "The View," "Dish Nation," and, of course, 'Wendy.'

We got Sherri out Monday night in New York and she was non-committal about the change, saying she was still just a temp.

Wendy was down with Sherri as her temp replacement, although she was hoping to return, but apparently, her health struggles have not gotten better.

Antonio Brown just posted an MRI of his injured ankle ... saying it proves his former Buccaneers team tried to "intentionally" hurt him during the infamous game against the Jets earlier this year.

Brown shared the images on his social media page ... recording what appeared to be a doctor breaking down his testing results.

In the footage, a man can be heard explaining to Brown that he had a bone spur and other issues in his ankle -- pointing out the ailments on a laptop screen.

AB seems to think the scan and the expert's words helped prove Bruce Arians and Tampa Bay tried to screw him over during the Bucs vs. Jets game at MetLife Stadium ... writing on the images, "They tried to hurt me intentionally @buccaneers."

"Sent me out there after knowing I was still hurt."

Brown then claimed Tom Brady was in on it all -- saying his former quarterback convinced him to play on the injured leg by promising him targets.

"He didn't throw it," Brown said. "Imagine being hurt having to play through this and being lied too."

"Coach said if I couldn't run on this get the f*** out of here. F*** all you MF."

As we reported, Brown famously threw a temper tantrum on the sideline during the Bucs' win over the Jets in New York -- saying Arians the Bucs tried to force him to play despite his injury.

Brown was eventually was booted off the team over it all ... but he and his attorney have since said they're considering suing the Bucs. Arians and the Bucs have denied any wrongdoing.

'America's Got Talent' breakout star Jane 'Nightbirde' Marczewski has died after a battle with cancer ... TMZ has learned.

A source with direct knowledge tells us the phenom singer passed away Saturday after months of receiving treatment for the disease ... which had spread to her lungs, spine and liver.

Nightbirde withdrew from 'AGT' mid-season -- when she announced she'd be focusing on her health full-time. She had previously survived breast cancer after being diagnosed in 2017 ... but it eventually returned, coming back in a metastatic state.

She'd said doctors gave her a slim chance at survival -- just 2% -- and the remainder of her life had been given a small window in 2019 ... just 3-6 months. Incredibly, she beat those odds and was declared cancer-free the following year ... only to have it return in 2021.

All things considered, she lived much longer than health professionals ever thought -- fighting hard for survival, and ultimately ... winning over audiences on 'Got Talent' and beyond.

'AGT' judge Howie Mandel posted a touching note about Nightbirde, saying, "(she) was such a bright inspirational light in all our lives.we must continue to live and learn from her words and lyrics. As much as I feel horribly about her passing I feel lucky to to have met, heard and known her."

Her story captivated America -- during her initial outing, she sang an original song, "It's Okay," which absolutely blew the judges away ... making Cowell emotional and getting a standing ovation from the others, not to mention a rare golden buzzer from SC himself. Obviously, she got a green light to move on -- and made it to the quarterfinals. She may well have even won the whole competition ... if not for having to pull out.

Unfortunately, her 'AGT' run was cut short due to the cancer ... and she's been mostly out of the spotlight since -- doing a few interviews here and there, while also staying positive on social media and sharing her journey.

Sadly, Nightbirde was never officially signed to a label and doesn't have an album out -- but she does have some EP releases and singles under her belt from her early years in the music biz, when she was trying to break out into the mainstream out in Virginia.

She was just 31.

RIP

Olympic skier Remi Lindholm says it was so cold during a race at the Games in Beijing over the weekend ... his penis literally froze while he was competing.

Lindholm says the horrifying injury happened during Saturday's men's 50km mass start event ... where temps dipped so low, officials actually delayed the start and even shortened the race's overall distance to 30km to try to keep competitors safe.

The precautions, though, clearly didn't help Lindholm too much ... because he said after spending over an hour racing on the course, his junk turned into a popsicle.

"You can guess which body part was a little bit frozen when I finished," Lindholm told reporters after the race. "It was one of the worst competitions I've been in."

Lindholm said he needed a heat pack to thaw everything out -- but added that once he got warm, "the pain was unbearable."

The worst part for Lindholm? His efforts only resulted in a 28th place finish.

Turns out, this was not the first time Lindholm has experienced the terrifying race wound -- he said it happened to him in a race in Finland in 2021.

Quinton Aaron, best known for his role in "The Blind Side," has dropped a whopping 100 pounds!!!

Quinton tells TMZ ... he gained quite a bit of weight during the pandemic, binge eating at home and developing a hankering for chocolate ... something he didn't have before the virus hit.

He says he would start his morning by eating 2 jumbo-sized KitKat packs and 2 Reese's packs. If he went out to eat, he would end his meal with a chocolate dessert. He also ate a lot of bread ... sometimes 2 large sandwiches in one sitting.

Quinton tells us ... he wanted to make a change because he has a lot of professional goals with his production company and music.

"I used the new year as a way to get a new me," he says ... and that work paid off! He went from 559 pounds to 462 lbs.

He cut candy bars and bread from his diet. He's eating Cobb salads for lunch and sticking to a keto diet ... along with fasting. He's also been walking and doing stretching exercises.

Now, he says he wants to drop another 64 lbs by May 10 to honor his late mom on her birthday -- which was his weight during "The Blind Side" movie.

His overall goal is to get between 300-325 pounds.

Billie Eilish isn't letting a threat from Kanye West change her playbook at concerts -- she's still making sure her fans are safe and sound, and didn't hesitate to stop her show again ... this time in NYC.

The singer was performing at Madison Square Garden, when at one point she took a breather, and then asked the crowd to do the same -- bringing down the energy in the room.

Not just that ... but BE also asked folks who were near the front row to step back and give each other room, again keeping their well-being at the front of her mind prior to proceeding with whatever song she had next.

Doesn't sound like too many people minded ... in fact, based on the reactions we can hear on camera -- it seems they might've actually appreciated it and sounded more than happy to oblige.

Billie finally asked if everyone was all good ... and after that, she started to strike some chords on her guitar, getting the crowd pumped once more.

You'll recall, she did something very similar a few weeks ago in Atlanta -- when she brought her concert to a full stop over a fan who appeared to be in distress ... even going so far as to offer her an inhaler she had on hand.

Billie also said she likes to guarantee her fans are safe at her shows ... which was widely perceived as a shot at Travis Scott, even though she never explicitly said his name. Ye, for sure thought it was a jab, and threatened to pull out of Coachella -- where Billie's also headlining -- if she didn't apologize to Travis.

After an electric opening night, Justin Bieber's tour has hit a speed bump ... we've learned the singer has tested positive for COVID-19, and at least one concert date has been postponed.

A rep for the singer tells TMZ Justin found out Saturday he had COVID, but thankfully is feeling OK. Justin was supposed to perform at T-Mobile Arena Sunday in Vegas, but now that show has been moved to the summer.

Justin is then supposed to stop in Glendale, AZ for a show Tuesday before hitting The Forum in Los Angeles Thursday. We don't know when he contracted the virus, so it's unclear if those concerts will also be put on ice.

Bieber's had a busy last week ... performing at The h.wood Group and REVOLVE's Super Bowl Party last Friday before hitting the road.

Justin opened The Justice World Tour Friday night in San Diego. His wife Hailey Bieber was in the audience for what looked like an amazing show.

As we reported, Justin plans on rewarding fans throughout tour stops who step up and help with initiatives like climate change, voter registration and criminal justice reform.

Queen Elizabeth II has faced lots of challenges over the last year ... and now another -- she has COVID.

The 95-year-old monarch is obviously high risk, but so far she's only experiencing mild symptoms ... a cold and not much more, this according to Buckingham Palace.

Ever the hard worker, Q.E.II is continuing to perform "light duties" at Windsor Castle over the next week.

A Palace spokesperson added, "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."

From all indications and reports, the Queen is fully vaccinated.

The Queen has had a rough go health-wise over the last year ... she's been hospitalized -- although the Palace never said why. She also sprained her back, which sidelined her from attending a big U.N. meeting. A few days ago she was seen with a cane, mildly joking about her health struggles.

The Queen's not the only one in her fam to be hit by COVID ... Prince Charles tested positive a little more than a week ago, and it's his second bout with the virus. Camilla also tested positive.

Kodak Black is doing a little show and tell ... displaying the impact of his injuries after being shot during Super Bowl Weekend.

TMZ broke the story ... Kodak was hit in the leg outside Justin Bieber's after-party at The Nice Guy in Hollywood. Three others were hit, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Kodak posted photos and a video documenting himself traveling back to Florida and showing off the cast covering his leg injury. He's talking to his mom and says he bought her a new house and a $30,000 Birkin bag.

When he was released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Monday, he was clearly struggling to walk ... with an assist from a walker.

BTW ... he had bodyguards flanking him as he climbed into the SUV, and for good reason.

A helicopter went down in Miami -- crash landing in the ocean, no less ... and mere feet from swimmers.

The accident happened Saturday afternoon in South Beach, with Miami Beach PD releasing surveillance footage that shows the moment the chopper starts to descend from the sky.

As you can see, it comes into frame out of nowhere ... and then heads straight down into the water incredibly close to the shore. Indeed, it appears there were people out by where the aircraft ended up touching down. Fortunately, it doesn't look like any of them were hit.

People were expectedly shocked from the sight, and it looks like the authorities responded quickly. Jet skis on hand immediately rode out to the site, and eventually ... boats arrived on the scene as well to fish out the passengers and to clear the area.

So far, only two have been hospitalized ... they're said to have actually been in the helicopter, and they were transported in stable condition.

No word on any other injuries so far, or what may have caused this to happen in the first place. It's also unclear what sort of a helicopter this is ... commercial, private or otherwise.

The FAA has been looped in, and an investigation in underway.

Passengers who witnessed a woman jump overboard to her death on a cruise ship have been left traumatized, and they want the cruise line to do some kind of a make-good.

Rhonda Turner, a 28-year-old from Booneville, MS, was enjoying her time on the Carnival Valor with her husband and two children ... before chaos erupted after a woman jumped off the balcony into the ocean.

Rhonda and her family rushed to where a large group of passengers was gathered. Rhonda says the scene was horrifying. She saw the head of the woman who jumped bobbing in the water. The woman was not decapitated, but all Rhonda could see was her head.

The woman jumped Wednesday afternoon after she was subdued by security. She had gotten into an altercation with a man in the hot tub.

Rhonda says the chaos left her and her family reeling, as helicopters hovered over the ship, trying to locate the woman. Her small children were bewildered and upset ... unable to understand the scope of what had happened.

Rhonda says it's time for Carnival to pony up ... at the very least she wants credit for another cruise. She's so traumatized she's considering counseling.

Hazel-E is getting some tough love, and through her tears, the 'Love & Hip Hop' star is vowing she's done with cosmetic surgery ... after 2 other procedures nearly turned deadly.

Hazel opened up about feeling pressure to "snapback" to pre-pregnancy fitness when she went on the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast. She even named names, saying her goal was to recover like Teyana Taylor famously did after she had kids.

Now, she's admitting the surgeries -- including liposuction and BBLs -- got out of hand. Here's the thing ... Raquel and Hazel are friends, but Raq didn't hold back in strongly suggesting she lay off the procedures.

Actually, the wording was pretty blunt -- telling Hazel to quit "f**king herself up."

The clip is raw, and Hazel's reaction to the friendly advice gets pretty emotional. In the end, though, she swears off going under the knife again ... with just a couple of exceptions.

The language here definitely isn't for kiddos, but it's real AF.

If anyone is going through it right now ... watch this clip.

Jay Glazer has an invaluable reminder for those battling mental health struggles ... telling TMZ Sports it's important for everyone to remember "we deserve to stay alive."

The Fox Sports insider let his emotions pour out last week ... saying his own personal bout with mental health is what sparked his desire to be so vocal about the topic.

"I've been on the drive for mental health because ... look at just this last week and a half," Glazer said. "Miss USA was the most beautiful woman in the world, felt lonely. Jeremy Giambi we just saw in sports. I actually just had somebody in my crew commit suicide yesterday."

"It's an epidemic because ... that's why I'm talking out so much about it. I ain't trying to villainize it, but we deserve to stay alive."

Glazer -- who's established a reputation for breaking some of the NFL's biggest stories -- details his mental health journey in his book "Unbreakable" ... and the importance of fighting through those tough times.

"I cannot say it enough -- don't just tell your friends or your family or your therapist that you need help," Glazer said. "Tell them the depth of the help that you need. We all deserve to be teammates out there, and get each other backs."

Glazer -- who also helps out via his Merging Vets and Players foundation -- says he doesn't have all the answers ... but knows he can still make a difference for those going through similar situations.

"I'm a work in progress, and I am hoping to use my own darkness and gray to lead people out of theirs."