Health

Rep. Sean Casten is revealing how his daughter died unexpectedly earlier this summer -- saying her heart simply gave out ... without any explanation whatsoever.

The U.S. congressman from Illinois broke the sad news Friday -- elaborating on his earth-shattering post from June ... when he told the world his 17-year-old, Gwen, had passed away suddenly. At the time, he didn't share any details ... but now, he's shedding some light.

Casten says Gwen died of a cardiac arrhythmia -- adding, "[S]he was fine, and then her heart stopped. We don't know what caused the arrhythmia, and likely never will."

The Representative says his daughter was a healthy teen who got regular checkups, exercised, ate well, didn't suffer from any behavioral health issues and had strong relationships with her friends and family. He notes ... she was also fully vaccinated.

Casten says Gwen came home one night after a night out with friends, and didn't wake up the next morning -- something doctors haven't been able to make sense of ... and ditto for the family. He says they're completely heartbroken and devastated -- exacerbated by such a freak thing with no real rational reason behind it. This is rare, he says, but it happens.

He ends his thoughts with a poignant remark ... "None of us know when our last heartbeat will come. The best we can hope for is when our loved ones do pass, we will have no regrets about the time we were lucky enough to share."

Casten finishes with this -- "So hug the folks you love a little harder today. Be present in their lives. And spread your love a little farther. Because in the end, it's all that matters."

Aljamain Sterling wholeheartedly believes TJ Dillashaw is juicing, telling TMZ Sports he's "100%" confident the former champ is cheating!!

"I'm excited, man. I can't wait to be standing across the cage and hear Bruce Buffer just go, 'two-time UFC former bantamweight champion Pill.J DillaRoid,' and I'm just gonna be like 'Yeah I'm gonna f**k this guy up!'"

The 33-year-old bantamweight champion is fighting the #2 ranked fighter at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on October 22.

You may remember ... TJ was suspended for 2 years for using EPO, a banned substance, during his title fight with Henry Cejudo. TJ admitted to what he did, apologized, and vowed to never again cheat.

But, Aljo ain't buyin' it.

"I think this is a legacy fight for myself to beat a guy like this who's been cheating for years and beating a lot of people for years. I think it does a huge boost to my stock and just go out there and have a good performance. The rest will take care of itself."

We asked Sterling ... you really think TJ's still doping?

"100% man! That guy knows the ins and outs of that whole thing," Aljamain said.

There's much more ... we also talked to Aljamain about the fight, and how he sees himself getting the win.

Bad news for Justin Herbert ...

Myles Garrett will be back in action for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday -- the NFL star is slated to be a full participant against the Los Angeles Chargers ... just 13 days after getting in a terrifying car accident.

The 26-year-old confirmed the news on Friday ... saying he's feeling good and doesn't believe the bicep and shoulder injuries he suffered during the crash will hold him back at all.

It's amazing news for the Browns ... who certainly missed their All-Pro defensive end in a devastating 23-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons during Week 4.

As we previously reported, Garrett told cops he believed he was driving around 65 MPH in a 45 zone when he flipped his Porsche 911 Turbo S ... and was issued a citation.

AEW star Saraya, formerly known as Paige in the WWE, has reportedly been cleared to wrestle again ... after she initially retired from the sport back in 2018 due to a neck injury.

Saraya -- who made her AEW debut on the "Grand Slam" Dynamite Episode on Sept. 21 -- has been cleared by AEW's ringside physician Dr. Michael Sampson, according to Dave Meltzer.

The doc's decision will now pave the way for Saraya to step into real competition in the squared circle again -- something she hasn't done since 2017, when she was injured during a six-woman tag team match.

She had attempted to make a recovery immediately following the injury ... but in 2018, at 25 years old, she stepped away from the sport seemingly for good.

It appears she's now recovered enough to be able to get after it again without significant risk of re-injury.

The 30-year-old could be headed for a match with Britt Baker now -- as the two have already been intertwined in an AEW storyline.

Earlier this week, they got into an altercation in the ring -- potentially setting up a future match.

Ray J uploaded a slew of worrying posts to his social media Thursday night ... ones where he heavily contemplated taking his own life, and causing serious alarm.

Fans briefly saw his concerning messages on his Instagram page ... with video of what looks to be him sitting high above the ground.

One caption reads, "If it wasn't 4 my Kidz I would jump off and die tonight."

Another upload shows his feet dangling off the side of a ledge, showing the ground below -- that caption says, "SHOULD I JUST JUMP off and end it rit. Now!!! ????"

He took to his IG story, too ... writing, "trying to figure it out -- maybe this life was a illusion--" He continued, "-- maybe the next life was my real reality." His concerning posts have since been taken down, but fans online have been sharing their love and support for Ray ever since.

There is good news ... we spoke to a source close to Ray who told us he's been with Princess Love. We're told he was drinking and put the posts up ... the source says Ray was not hospitalized and was "messing around."

Kanye West thinks there's an evil plan behind the attacks on Lizzo's weight ... he says it's a way to kill Black people.

Ye says he notices whenever Lizzo, who works with his trainer, posts on social media about losing weight she is immediately attacked by bot accounts.

The reasoning ... Kanye says it's because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal for Black people, when it's actually unhealthy.

Kanye made the claims in his interview with FNC's Tucker Carlson, saying it's clinically unhealthy to promote an overweight lifestyle and going a step further by calling anyone who does so "demonic."

Tucker asked Kanye why he thinks the media wants to promote unhealthiness among Black people ... and Ye didn't hold back.

Justin Bieber fans hoping to see the singer live this year will need to wait until at least 2023 ... he's postponed the remainder of his world tour.

The Justice World Tour -- which kicked off back in February -- was slated to run until March 25, 2023 ... with upcoming dates in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Poland, The Netherlands and more.

However, last month Justin announced he needed a break from touring -- realizing his health needed to come first after a show in Brazil -- saying, "After getting off the stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realize that I need to make my health the priority right now." He continued, "So I'm going to take a break from touring for the time being. I'm going to be ok, but I need time to rest and get better."

At the time, sources close to Justin told us both his mental and physical health needed some healing ... and it was important he took the time off to do just that.

Remember, Justin was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome earlier this year, posting a frightening video in which half his face was paralyzed.

Now, we're told the tour's remaining dates have been postponed ... that includes every show through and including March 25, 2023.

Bellator star Aaron Pico says he needs surgery after separating his shoulder in the first round of his Bellator 286 fight Saturday, telling TMZ Sports he'll likely be out 4 to 6 months.

"I'll be having surgery soon," the 26-year-old Bellator fighter says, adding ... "I'm just having some numbness in my fingers right now, and they're just waiting for the numbness to go away, and then immediate surgery. They say I'll probably be out 4 to 6 months, so it's not that long."

Of course, Pico, the number 4 ranked Bellator featherweight, dislocated his shoulder throwing a hook within 30 seconds of the first round of his fight with Jeremy Kennedy. Miraculously, Aaron was able to survive nearly an entire round with his shoulder dangling.

In-between rounds, Aaron directed his coach -- who obviously isn't a doctor -- to pop his shoulder back into place. Unfortunately, they didn't have any luck. That's when the ringside physician came to the cage and ultimately stopped the fight, despite Pico pleading with him to fix the injury and let him continue.

Aaron addressed fans who've attacked his coach for trying to get the shoulder back in the socket. He also tells us why the ringside doc wouldn't just pop the shoulder back in place.

Officially, Aaron lost the fight ... but the fact he was able to scrap 4+ minutes with a serious injury is insane, and goes to show how tough he is.

Shockingly, Pico says the injury didn't hurt ... at first.

"I just felt stuck, like something was blocking it, but I wasn't in pain," Pico says, adding he immediately left the cage before Kennedy was announced as the winner because he recognized he needed to get to the hospital.

Then the adrenaline wore off ... and well, it hurt, bad.

"Then when I got to the back, the pain really set in, and then when I got into the ambulance, I can handle pain, but I started to shed a few tears because I was like this thing is the worst pain I've ever been in."

It was just last week that Pico, along with best friend and fellow Bellator star AJ McKee, came to the TMZ office and sat down with Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... and vowed to be champion one day soon.

Aaron's injury may have delayed his goal ... but it did anything but derail it.

In fact, he's already thinking about his return ... and ideally, he'd fight the guy at the very top of the division, Patricio Pitbull.

"If I'm being selfish, of course, I'd like to go straight for the title, but I believe Jeremy Kennedy deserves a rematch."

"If I need to fight him again, I will. If they want me to fight for the title, it's all good. I have nothing but respect for Kennedy. He didn't know my shoulder was out and he came to fight. Tough guy, s**t happens. There's nothing you can really do.".

Joe Burrow is speaking out about his own experiences with hard hits to the head following Tua Tagovailoa's recent injury ... revealing he's blacked out and completely lost memory of parts of games.

The Cincinnati Bengals superstar's comments come as the topic of concussions has returned to the spotlight this season ... after the Dolphins allowed their star QB to play in a game just four days after he appeared to suffer a serious head injury against the Bills.

Burrow says, unfortunately, these things will continue to happen due to the nature of the sport ... and players know what they're signing up for.

"You're going to have head injuries," Burrow said on Colin Cowherd's podcast. "You're going to tear your ACL. You're going to break your arm. That's the game that we play. That's the life that we live."

Burrow -- who said he's had concussions where he didn't remember the second half of a game or an entire game -- said there's an inherent risk associated with the sport that he accepts.

"I know I got a little dizzy at one point," Burrow said on the podcast. "But nothing long-lasting."

Tua's situation has sparked serious concern with the Dolphins' handling of concussions ... with many questioning why he was even on the field to get hit in the head again on Thursday after suffering what looked like a possible head injury just four days prior against the Bills.

Tagovailoa's situation was so serious, Dr. Bennet Omalu -- the famed neurologist portrayed by actor Will Smith in the 2015 movie "Concussion" -- told us Tua should walk away from the NFL.

"If you love your life, if you love your family, you love your kids -- if you have kids -- it's time to gallantly walk away," Omalu said. "Go find something else to do."

"Sometimes money is not more valuable than human life. $20 billion is not worth more than your brain."

Myles Garrett is back on the football field ... just over one week after his terrifying car crash in Ohio.

The Cleveland Browns superstar was seen doing drills during team practice on Wednesday ... and you can tell the guy was hyped about putting on the pads once again.

The media at the Browns' training facility recorded the defensive end warming up and participating in individual defensive drills.

Ashley Bastock of Cleveland.Com said the 26-year-old even winked at the camera during his workout.

This is definitely a good look for Garrett ... especially since the three-time Pro Bowler suffered a shoulder and bicep strain after his Porsche 911 Turbo S flipped multiple times in a vicious crash last Monday.

Garrett -- who was cited for the accident -- says he was with a female passenger in Sharon Township, Medina County when he was speeding at 65 MPH in the 45 zone ... and confessed that this incident was a "wake-up call".

"Just trying to be smart overall with driving," Garrett said to the media last week. "Don't take it for granted ... You know, just take my time."

Skyler Gisondo says a lady was supposed to do his hair and makeup for a movie -- but ended up playing masseuse and screwing up his body ... so now, he's suing.

The actor is taking hairstylist Lori Guidroz to court for what he claims was general negligence on her part during the making of P.T. Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" -- in which Skyler plays a somewhat significant role, Alana Haim's temporary on-screen boyfriend early on in the flick.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Skyler alleges while Lori was working on his makeup -- even though she has a hair credit for the movie -- she gave him a massage at one point, which he says ended up causing him severe neck injuries.

SG doesn't get more specific about how she might have rubbed him up -- or what precisely happened to his neck -- but at any rate, he claims Lori was unlicensed and shouldn't have done it ... 'cause he needed significant medical care in the aftermath.

Skyler also notes in his suit that he's suffered beyond just the pain here -- claiming he's lost wages and part of his ability to work because of what Lori allegedly did. SG also claims he's suffered the loss of use of property, plus property damage ... but doesn't offer any detail on what that means. He's seeking compensatory damages based on proof he says he can offer.

FWIW ... Lori is a pretty big deal in the hair world -- she's done 'dos for a number of A-list stars over the years, including Ben Stiller, Orlando Bloom, David Bowie and others.

Presumably, that could mean he's roping the studio and/or the director into this too.

Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine has officially begun his road to recovery after suffering a horrific leg injury in a game on Sunday -- the team just announced he's undergone successful surgery to fix his compound fracture.

Cine sustained the gruesome injury while playing against the Saints in London -- and it was bad. He came down awkwardly on his left leg while trying to make a block ... and a bone in his lower leg snapped in half.

WARNING -- video of the play is hard to watch.

The injury was so bad ... Cine stayed overseas to receive medical care, but on Tuesday, the Vikings said the Cleveland Clinic London's Dr. Aswinkumar Vasireddy operated on him -- and, thankfully, everything went smoothly and he should return home soon.

"We look forward to welcoming Lewis back to Minnesota to be around his teammates and coaches," the Vikings said in a statement, "and begin the rehabilitation process with the Vikings medical staff in the very near future."

Cine was the Vikings' first-round pick in this year's NFL draft. He had played in three games for the team this season.

Chris Martin will be taking some time off after coming down with a serious lung infection, forcing the band to cancel a string of shows in Brazil.

Coldplay announced Tuesday that 8 upcoming shows in Brazil through the month of October will all be pushed to 2023. The band says Chris has a serious lung infection and has been put under strict doctor's orders to rest for the next 3 weeks.

The band has been tearing through the 'Music Of The Spheres World Tour' this year.

The rest of the statement reads, "To everyone in Brazil who was looking forward to these concerts, we’re extremely sorry for any disappointment and inconvenience,” saying, “and we’re so grateful for your understanding at this challenging time where we need to prioritize Chris’ health."

In the meantime, Coldplay says they will be honoring refunds but they are assuring fans their current tickets will be valid for the new dates. The good news, it looks like it's something Chris will totally recover from.

Tiffany Jackson -- a former WNBA player and Texas Longhorns legend -- has passed away after her battle with cancer, her alma mater confirmed.

She was only 37.

The Texas women's basketball team announced the devastating news Monday evening, saying the former UT forward -- who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2015 -- died from the disease.

"Tiffany had a great career and was an impact player," her former UT coach Jody Conradt said.

"She was recognized for her all-around game and the fact that she was tremendously mobile and could play multiple positions. She was beloved by teammates, and we share in the sadness of her passing."

Jackson was a hoops star in high school, winning a state title and Gatorade's Player of the Year award.

The awards didn't stop after high school ... during her four years at UT ('03 to '07), she won ESPN's National Freshman Of The Year award and became the only person at the school to record a combined 1,000 points, 1,0000 rebounds, 300 steals, and 150 blocks.

Jackson was selected 5th overall in the 2007 WNBA Draft and went on to play for the New York Liberty, Tulsa Shock and Los Angeles Sparks during her 9-year career.

After retiring in 2018, she re-joined the Longhorns as an assistant coach for the women's basketball team. Then, in April of this year, she got a head coaching gig ... when she was named the HC at Wiley College.

"I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season," UT current head coach Vic Schaefer said.

"She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family."

Several WNBA players paid tribute to Jackson, including Tamika Catchings, who called her "absolutely amazing."

"Going to miss her smile, presence and heart for others."

Famed neuropathologist Bennet Omalu -- the inspiration for the Will Smith "Concussion" movie -- tells TMZ Sports ... Tua Tagovailoa should never play another down in the NFL again after suffering a scary head injury last week.

"If you love your life," Omalu said in a message to the Miami star, "if you love your family, you love your kids -- if you have kids -- it's time to gallantly walk away. Go find something else to do."

Tagovailoa was injured in the second quarter of the Dolphins' loss to the Bengals last Thursday ... and Omalu, who discovered CTE, said from everything he saw on the game's broadcast, he believes the quarterback "suffered severe, long-term permanent brain damage" during the play.

Now, Omalu is pleading with the 24-year-old football player to hang up his cleats forever to avoid sustaining any further damage.

"Tua, my brother. I love you," Omalu said. "I love you as much as I love my son. Stop playing. Stop. Hang your helmet and gallantly walk away."

Tua was rushed to the hospital immediately following the hit, but he was discharged just hours later and flew back to Florida with the team on Thursday night.

On Friday, Tagovailoa told his fans he was "feeling much better" ... and was determined to get back out on the field as soon as possible.

Omalu clearly believes that would be a mistake.

"He should stop," the doctor said. "Sometimes money is not more valuable than human life. $20 billion is not worth more than your brain."

Brian Robinson's road to recovery after a horrifying shooting incident is nearly complete -- Commanders head coach Ron Rivera just announced the running back has been medically cleared ... and could make his NFL debut this weekend.

Rivera said Robinson -- who was shot twice in August during an attempted carjacking in D.C. -- will officially jump into Washington practice on Wednesday ... and if all goes well, there's a "very good chance" he plays against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Rivera said the team will be cautious with the 23-year-old rookie ... but docs have told him there's no need to place restrictions on the back's workload -- at least not initially.

"We'll see how he handles it," Rivera said. "We've got to see how he reacts to contact 'cause we will have a padded practice on Wednesday. He'll get to bump around a little bit -- and we'll see how he handles that and then we'll go from there."

The Commanders picked Robinson in the third round of this year's NFL draft. He had impressed in the preseason, appearing to earn the team's starting tailback role coming out of training camp.

However, he was shot in the glute and the lower leg on Aug. 28 -- and has been fighting to get healthy and back to the field since.

But, Rivera told media members Robinson has passed every test so far, and he's "optimistic" Robinson will be available Sunday.