RIP

The Grammys officially have to recognize hip hop's presence going forward ... so says 2 of its pioneers ... Melle Mel and Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five!!!

We linked with Melle, Scorpio and Bar Shon after their participation in the Grammys hip hop blowout to celebrate the culture's 50th birthday ... and in their opinion, the classic contributions to the medley really boosted the tribute.

Melle and Scorpio also tell us it was an honor to rock with the newer artists, who included Lil Baby, GloRilla and Lil Uzi Vert -- but it was their wave of nostalgia that made the performance one for the books.

The Furious Five rappers disagree with the notion new rap music is garbage -- they say each generation has its own sound and even remember when older heads turned their noses up at their music when they referred to it as "fresh."

Gabby Petito's family just released a photo that they say backs their wrongful death suit -- namely, what they claim is an alarming selfie taken minutes before cops stopped her -- and proof officers should've taken action.

Attorneys for Gabby's parents -- who filed suit against the Moab Police Dept. in Utah for not intervening to protect their daughter before she was killed by her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie -- distributed a picture they claim was taken on her phone minutes before she and Brian encountered MPD officers on the road ... following a call from a concerned citizen.

The photo appears to show Gabby with a bruised eye and red marks on her face ... something that didn't look nearly as visible in body cam footage taken during the actual traffic stop.

Interestingly, the cop talking to Gabby did point out something on her face ... asking if she'd been hit. He also pointed out what he seemed to think was an injury on her shoulder.

The Petito family says a timestamp from Gabby's selfie shows it was taken at 4:37 PM on August 12. Moab PD's body cam footage started rolling shortly after at around 4:53 PM.

Gabby's parents feel this shows she was obviously injured at the hands of Brian ... and that law enforcement had a duty to step in and shield her. As we now know, the two officers on the scene made a decision not to arrest anyone at the time ... something the Petitos feel warrants at least $50 million in damages.

Cardi B got roped into Offset and Quavo's fight backstage at the Grammys -- and part of her attempt to break it up was caught on video.

Entertainment Tonight obtained footage of Cardi shouting at 2 people -- her husband and his cousin/former rap pal, and you can clearly hear her screaming ... "Both of y'all's wrong! This is not right!!!"

She goes on to address someone specific in tense terms ... "No bitch, shut the f*** up 'cause you shouldn't have been talking." It's unclear who CB was referring to there.

Afterward, she came back and talked to an ET reporter ... who straight up asked her if she was back there settling some stuff. Cardi brushed it off, saying the only thing she settled was her outfit. Unfortunately for her and for Offset, the whole brouhaha was on camera.

This simply confirms what TMZ first reported ... a fight broke out backstage between Quavo and Offset, which multiple witnesses tell us was initiated by Quavo. Offset tried downplaying our story, tweeting out what seemed like a denial.

Scott Alexander, a magician best known for his time on "America's Got Talent," has died ... according to his wife.

Scott's wife Jenny -- who appeared on the show as his assistant -- shared the tragic news on Monday, posting ... "We have lost a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, a mentor, and one hell of an entertainer."

As for what led to his death, Jenny says "Scott suffered a stroke while working on a cruise ship in St Kitts and did not make it home to us."

'AGT' fans will remember Scott and Jenny from Season 6 of the hit show. He made quite the impression on the judges with his illusions and tricks, before getting eliminated in the Quarterfinals.

After the show, Scott also appeared on Season 2 of "Penn & Teller: Fool Us".

Scott is survived by his wife and their 3 children. In Jenny's own words, "We are shattered."

A GoFundMe has been started by a family friend to help Jenny as well as their children's future.

There's clearly still serious bad blood between Migos' rappers Quavo and Offset following the death of Takeoff ... and those emotions boiled over backstage at the Grammys into a physical fight.

Sources at the show tell us just before Quavo took the stage to perform his song "Without You" as a tribute to Takeoff during the "In Memoriam" segment of the show, he and Offset got into a physical fight and had to be pulled apart.

As for what led to it -- we're told The Grammys had asked Offset to be a part of the tribute, but Quavo refused to let him take part. We're told Quavo blocked Offset from joining him on stage ... leading to the melee.

Our Offset sources say it was Quavo who started the fight.

We should note -- Quavo and Takeoff were extremely close at the time of Takeoff's murder -- Offset was still hanging out with Takeoff separately, but the trio wasn't hanging out as a unit. Quavo's "Without You" was a song he specifically wrote for Takeoff.

J Prince and Offset's beef over Takeoff's death is boiling over, and fans are blaming Gillie Da Kid and Wallo for heating the pot ... because J Prince used their platform to spark things up.

The Rap-A-Lot Records don closed off his recent "Million Dollarz Worth of Game" interview with some pretty tough talk aimed at Offset, claiming the rapper was "throwing rocks" without properly raising any issues he has with J. Prince himself.

Offset, in turn, defended his honor with sharp words ... dismissing J Prince's "Mob Ties" reputation while accusing him of exploiting Takeoff's death by repeatedly doing interviews about the situation.

Fans are labeling Gillie and Wallo the instigators for allowing the tensions to get so high, especially after some of their past interviews -- most notably ones with Lil Durk and Young Thug -- showcase the Philly podcasters assuming a "big brother" role to steer rappers away from the street life.

And, here's the crazy part: Gillie kicked off the interview claiming they initially refused the sit down with J Prince, but his conversation with Quality Control Records boss Pierre "Pee" Thomas was good enough for them to proceed ... and they still managed to ruffle feathers!!!

Offset's been dealing with a lot these past few days ... with things coming to a head between Quavo and him backstage at the Grammys.

TMZ broke the story, the 2 estranged Migos members got into an altercation after Quavo blocked Offset from partaking in his Takeoff tribute, and now there's this lingering beef with J Prince.

Tristan Thompson is opening up for the first time about his mother's unexpected death ... penning her an emotional tribute letter on Instagram, writing his "soul is empty" since her passing.

"Dearest mommy in heaven, It has been one month since you’ve been gone," the former NBA player wrote.

"I’m in disbelief. I'm in the deepest part of sorrow & grief. My soul is empty as I come to terms that my biggest supporter/superhero is gone."

The 31-year-old continued, writing about the sacrifices his mom made for him and his siblings.

"Mommy, all the sacrifices you did for ur sons will never go unnoticed or without appreciation. You were an amazing mommy, role model, best friend & the strongest woman I know."

Thompson also touched on some of the public mistakes he's made as an adult, vowing to show his mom raised a good man.

"Im sorry mommy for the wrong decisions Ive made in my life. Im sorry for the embarrassment &pain. You raised me better than what I was able to show you," Tristan wrote.

"But I have also learned sorry is not enough. Actions speak louder than words. So I wont just say sorry. Stay tuned to the ways I will show the world what an amazing son you raised."

Fans, NBA stars, and celebs flooded Thompson's IG comments with support, including his former teammate LeBron James and Kim Kardashian, who left a heart and dove emoji.

Of course, Kim's sister Khloe -- who shares two kids with Tristan -- and the Kardashian family have been by his side since his mom, Andrea, suffered a heart attack at her home in Toronto on Jan. 5.

Dee Dee Ramone fans with a passion for the singer's life and some seriously deep pockets will now have a shot at owning some of his most personal items.

Ramone's ex-wife, Vera Boldis, is teaming up with Moments In Time auctions to sell a bundle of Dee Dee's belongings for a hefty $1.5 million. Boldis has held onto the collection from the original member of The Ramones for more than 40 years.

If someone is willing to shell out the $1.5M, they'll get close to 1,000 items ... including everything from lyrics and clothing, down to his love letters and his wedding album.

As for some specifics, there's a super fancy gold and diamond 'KING' necklace, ties, as well as a signed copy of the group's 5th studio album "End of the Century," which was originally released in 1980.

Dee Dee died back in 2002, and Tommy Ramone, the last surviving member of the group, died in 2014.

Charles Kimbrough -- a longstanding star on the sitcom 'Murphy Brown' -- has died.

His son confirmed the news to the New York Times, saying his father had passed almost a month ago ... way back on Jan. 11 in Culver City, CA. No other details about a cause of death were released.

The actor will certainly best be remembered as Jim Dial on the '80s/'90s hit show, where he played cranky veteran TV anchor, Jim Dial -- who delivered the news alongside Candice Bergen's Murphy, and who was shaped after Walter Cronkite and other legacy newsmen.

He starred on 'MB' for all 10 seasons, and he even got an Emmy nomination one year for his performance. Kimbrough returned to the role for a few episodes in the 2018 reboot as well.

Before TV, Kimbrough was a steady theater actor ... having starred in lots of Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including Stephen Sondheim's "Company."

Prior to his big break on 'Murphy,' Kimbrough had guest starred in a number of other hit TV series ... like "Kojak," "All My Children," "American Playhouse," "Spenser: For Hire," "Another World," "Hothouse" and more. He had also acted in several movies through the '70s and '80s.

It wasn't until the '90s that Kimbrough showed off a new skill ... voice acting. He lent his vocal talents to famous kids shows like "Dinosaurs," "Mighty Max," "Pinky and the Brain," "Recess," "Hercules," "The Angry Beavers," "Batman Beyond," and others.

Of course, he also famously voiced one of the gargoyles in 1996's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," playing Victor. He reprised this character for both the sequel and video game spinoffs.

Kimbrough is survived by his son, John. He was 86

Lisa Marie Presley could not handle the stress leading up to the Golden Globes, because she had become used to feeling anonymous during COVID, and felt fully exposed during the roll up to the Golden Globes ... sources tell TMZ.

Family sources tell TMZ ... Lisa actually felt comfortable during COVID, because she could leave her home masked up and no one knew it was her ... including paparazzi.

Lisa's world was rocked to the core in July, 2020, when her son Benjamin died by suicide. As we reported, our family sources say were it not for her 14-year-old twins, Lisa would have followed in Benjamin's path.

As she was dealing with her grief, we're told Lisa did not want to be seen by anyone. On the occasions when she ventured out of her home, she felt protected with a mask covering much of her face ... she was not spotted by anyone, and it proved comforting.

Lisa spend most of her time at home in 2021 and 2022, but 3 months before the Golden Globes, we're told she realized she would be a public centerpiece for the "Elvis" movie, and it freaked her out.

TMZ broke the story ... Lisa had gained weight over the last few years, and went on a dramatic weight loss program. We're told she lost 40 to 50 pounds in the 6 weeks leading up to the Globes.  It was apparently during Lisa's interview with Billy Bush, something was off.

As one source put it, she was "obsessed" with looking her best for awards season. A family source put it bluntly ... "Were it not for the Golden Globes, Lisa might be alive today."

Our sources say she was so stressed out over the Globes, we're told she started taking opioids again ... something that dogged her much of her adult life.

The L.A. County Coroner is awaiting toxicology results before determining cause of death.

Jennifer Hudson brought the house down at Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party Saturday night, with a rendition of "Greatest Love of All" that would have surely left Whitney Houston impressed.

Kevin Costner, Whitney's "The Bodyguard" co-star, hopped on stage with a super emotional tribute to both Whitney and Clive. Speaking to Davis from the stage, Costner said, "Neither one of us, in the end, could protect your beloved Whitney."

Costner went on ... "But your fingerprints on her life are clean my friend. You were a miracle in her life. Thank you for being her bodyguard, Clive. Everyone in this business has a mom, but not everyone has a Clive."

TMZ broke the story ... Whitney died of an overdose at the Beverly Hilton hotel back in 2012, just hours before Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammy bash.

"Laverne & Shirley" star, Cindy Williams' name won't soon be forgotten in the place she grew up in ... because they're dedicating an entire day in her honor.

Williams was raised in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, and there's now an official movement to declare January 25 -- the day she passed away -- as Cindy Williams Day in the community.

A spokesperson for the sixth district of Los Angeles tells TMZ ... “Our office was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Cindy Williams, a Van Nuys treasure and Hollywood icon. Throughout her life, Cindy served as a role model to young women in Hollywood and showed them that, through hard work and dedication, they could achieve whatever they put their minds to."

As we reported, the actress, made famous for her portrayal of Shirley in the hugely popular "Laverne & Shirley" died at the age of 75 last month.

While she's best remembered for playing alongside Penny Marshall in the hit series, she did a ton of other gigs throughout her career ... like taking on projects on Broadway and appearing on other shows such as "8 Simple Rules".

Rep. Jamaal Bowman says Democrats and Republicans are scared to break party lines, particularly when it comes to police reform, and it's maddening because people are literally dying as a result.

The Congressman from New York joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him if any legislation will come out of Tyre Nichols' death, which is sparking renewed calls to pass reforms written in the wake of George Floyd's death.

Rep. Bowman, a member of the Congressional Black Congress, says provisions in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would do a lot of good for Americans who have their rights violated by police ... but he says the gridlock in Washington is making it impossible.

It's pretty damning ... Rep. Bowman says there's so much tribalism going on within the Capitol, nothing can get done ... and he's blaming corporations and mega donors for the standstill.

Rep. Bowman says Democrats and Republicans agree on different aspects of police reform behind closed doors ... but he says lawmakers are too scared to piss off Congressional leaders and the folks who put them in power, and almost no one has the guts to go against the grain.

An educator before being elected to Congress in 2020, Rep. Bowman says the tribalism in D.C. is especially frustrating for him to watch because he's not a career politician ... and as he puts it, the logjam is happening as "people are freaking dying."

Priscilla Presley nearly lost two children in two weeks ... at least according to her son, Navarone Garcia, who says a camel almost killed him days before Lisa Marie Presley died.

Navarone, Lisa's half-brother, claims he had a brush with death during a visit last month to an animal sanctuary outside Los Angeles ... where he says a hungry camel tried to eat him.

Priscilla's son says his mom was with him when he was feeding a 2,000-pound camel out of the palm of his hand ... telling People the camel started biting him when he ran out of food.

Navarone says the animal first bit his hand and lifted him up, then dropped him to the ground and pounced on him. With the camel on top of him, Navarone claims the animal wrapped its mouth around Navarone's head and bit him as sanctuary workers struggled to get the camel to release.

Priscilla, Navarone says, was freaking out as she watched the horrific scene unfold right in front of her, but fortunately, he claims a dog was Johnny on the spot and scared the camel off.

Navarone says the animal sanctuary called 911 but he preferred to make the hour trek back to Los Angeles to go to an emergency room closer to home. He says he walked into the ER with blood all over him and needed 34 staples in his head.

Lil Keed's family has released a new song from the YSL rapper ... nearly one year after his tragic passing from a rare blood cell disorder.

Keed's mother, Tonnie "HoodMama" Woods-Reed, lead the charge for the rollout with a heartfelt message of bereavement, but still wanted his fans to have music to attach to their own sorrow.

"On May 13, 2022, I lost my son Raqhid Render—who many of you knew as the artist Lil Keed. While this journey through the different phases of grief has been indescribably hard, a way that I have found to cope is through his music."

She continued, "Right before his passing, Keed was hard at work on what would’ve been his highly anticipated next album, Keed Talk to ’Em 2. As much as he was a great father, son, and friend—he was also an artist who (thanks to many of you) lived and continues to live through his music. With that being said, the time has come to share some of our last pieces of Keed with you all starting with the release of his first single, “Long Way to Go.” This song holds a special place in my heart and as you guys will see it will reflect on many aspects of Keed’s journey here on Earth."

His mother concluded, "I hope you all appreciate it as we take the first step in cementing Keed’s legacy. Long Live Keed!"

Tyre Nichols, who loved to skateboard, could soon have his name emblazoned on skate parks in Memphis and Sacramento ... TMZ has learned.

Chief of Communications for the City of Memphis, Allison Fouche tells TMZ ... leaders are having preliminary conversations about naming a park after Tyre. Mayor Jim Strickland is floating the idea to the City Council.

We're told the Mayor is meeting internally with his team Friday to discuss plans, including whether they'll build a new park in Tyre's honor, or rename an existing one.

Since Tyre's tragic death, videos have been circulating online of him showing off his skateboarding skills. Most of the footage is from his time in Sacramento, CA before moving to Memphis.

Tim Swanson, media and communications manager for the City of Sacramento, tells TMZ ... councilmember Lisa Kaplan, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and City staff are working with Tyre's family to explore the best ways to honor his legacy, which could include renaming a skate park after him.

Tyre's parents are crowdfunding a memorial fund, and his mom says she'd like to use some of the money to build a memorial skate park for Tyre.