RIP

Alex Murdaugh is being held in the most secure area of a South Carolina prison ... and it's all because other inmates might wanna take him down a few notches due to his notoriety.

Murdaugh, who is serving two life sentences after being convicted of murdering his wife and 22-year-old son, is behind bars at Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia, SC, where he's been placed in a single cell.

The SC Department of Corrections tells TMZ ... Murdaugh's infamy could put him at risk -- so, for the most part, he's being kept away from other inmates.

Murdaugh's single cell is made of concrete with a steel bed, toilet and sink. It's a stark contrast to the privileged lifestyle the disgraced powerhouse attorney once led.

We're told Murdaugh is under constant surveillance and he's not even eating with the other inmates. His meals are brought directly to his cell, where he eats alone -- that's how in peril prison officials feel he'd be in general population.

Murdaugh's only going to be at Kirkland for 45 days ... there's an evaluation period before he's assigned to a specific custody level, and new prison. At that point, we're told he will get his meals in the cafeteria with his fellow inmates, unless a specific threat is made against him.

For now, though, we're told Murdaugh is being escorted by at least one corrections officer whenever he leaves his cell ... and that's when he gets closest to other inmates, albeit for an extremely limited window.

As far as creature comforts, he can have a few. We're told he can buy a TV for his cell and pay for phone calls to family and friends.

So far, he hasn't been attacked or even threatened ... but Kirkland officials aren't taking any chances he gets harmed on their watch.

"Queer Eye" alum Tom Jackson, who appeared on the show's first season, has died of cancer ... and now fans are down a former hero.

According to his obituary, Tom died on March 3 at 11:49 PM ... after succumbing to stage 4 adenocarcinoma -- a glandular cancer, which doctors said had metastasized.

The show's official website shared the sad news Wednesday on Instagram, posting ... "It's with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to a member of our Queer Eye family. Rest in peace, Tom Jackson"

Fans will best remember Tom from season 1 of the Netflix reboot. He became a fan favorite after appearing in the premiere episode in 2018 alongside the Fab Five. He once dropped the iconic line, "You can't fix ugly."

Before his reality TV stardom he reportedly worked as a dump-truck driver in Georgia ... after he'd retired from FedEx.

Tom is survived by his 2 grandsons, 2 sisters and his daughter, who also appeared on the series.

His family said in a statement, "We will never forget our beloved Tom. He brought joy, humor, persistence, and love to our family. He is special to us, and we look forward to seeing him again one day."

They're also suggesting fans watch his episode of "Queer Eye" in his honor.

Tom was 63.

Alabama basketball star Brandon Miller is breaking his silence on the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris ... saying Wednesday the tragedy is "heartbreaking."

"I never lose sight of the fact that a family has lost one of their loved ones that night," Miller told reporters. "This whole situation is just really heartbreaking."

He added, "Respectfully, that's all I’m going to be able to say on that."

Miller's brief remarks come just two days after he was named SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

As we previously reported, cops say Miller -- Alabama's best player this season -- brought the gun to his friend and former teammate, Darius Miles, on January 15 in Tuscaloosa.

Miles' friend, Michael Davis, allegedly fired the fatal shot.

Despite his connection to the murder case, Miller did not face trouble with Alabama or the law ... and has been performing at a high level on the court. He even dropped 41 points against South Carolina last month.

Miller's availability has been met with criticism -- the victim's parents expressed to USA Today they believe 'Bama is prioritizing Miller over the tragedy.

"They're worried about his career, but what about this 5-year-old boy (Harris' son, Kaine)," Harris' mother, DeCarla Cotton, told the outlet.

Hayden Panettiere is honoring her brother in a special way on the day of his funeral ... wearing a custom jacket he designed to the service.

The Panettiere family and friends gathered Wednesday at the Palisades Presbyterian Church in Nyack, New York to celebrate and remember the life of Jansen Panettiere. Hayden wore the colorful jacket as she walked inside.

Jansen posted a photo of the jacket February 2, just a few weeks before he suddenly died. He was an artist and designer who would often share his works on his social media.

TMZ broke the story, Jansen was found dead inside his apartment in Nyack in February. According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, a friend became alarmed after he was a no-call, no-show to a business meeting.

Hayden later came out and said her brother was believed to have died from an enlarged heart, coupled with aortic valve complications.

Finesse2tymes is shaking his head at the blame tossed his way following his performance at the ill-fated Rochester, NY GloRilla concert where 2 people were trampled to death.

The Mob Ties rapper gave his condolences when we caught him out in NYC on Tuesday ... but also clarified his IG post about the incident.

Finesse2tymes took a page from his own "Back End" song lyrics -- "It's cool when they do it, it's a problem when I do it" -- to hammer his point, which is that he's being unfairly targeted.

Video footage of the grisly aftermath shows dozens of bodies sprawled out across the ground of the venue Main Street Armory, with a police investigation determining fans panicked after thinking they heard shots fired after the concert ended ... causing several jams inside exit ways.

In addition to the 2 fatalities, 7 other concertgoers were treated for injuries.

Both Finesse and GloRilla were actually gone from the venue when the stampede happened -- but the "F.N.F" rapper also shared her condolences after learning what happened.

Local media has also speculated the Armory was over its 5000-person capacity welcoming 2 of hip hop's hottest new rappers.

Two Americans who were kidnapped along the Mexico border near Texas last week are dead ... this according to state officials.

Americo Villarreal -- the governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which encompasses the border city of Matamoros, where the abductions occurred -- confirmed Tuesday that they'd found all 4 U.S. citizens who were taken by armed assailants ... and 2 were deceased.

As for the 2 others, one is reported to be injured. No word yet on where they were found or under what circumstances, but emergency personnel are on the scene and attending to the surviving Americans.

The crew of four -- who have since been identified by friends and family as Latavia McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams -- were traveling in a car with North Carolina plates, although it's unclear what state they were traveling from originally.

What we do know ... they crossed over into Mexico from Brownsville, TX in a white minivan, shortly after which they were descended upon by gunmen, who opened fire on them and snatched them up in the middle of the road -- part of which was caught on video.

Some have assumed this is cartel-related, but so far ... there's no evidence of that. The FBI has also said the group of four had no criminal ties to Mexico, and they also don't believe they were targeted before arriving in Mexico. This appears to have been carried out at random and on the spot by the criminals ... who remain at large at the moment.

The reason they were heading down to Mexico in the first place is that one of them was planning on undergoing a tummy tuck south of the border. The U.S. State Department has warned Americans to steer clear of Matamoros, noting its high risk of crime/kidnapping.

There have been reports this could be a case of mistaken identity.

Gary Rossington, the last original member of legendary rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died.

The guitarist, behind such memorable songs as "Freebird" and "Sweet Home Alabama," passed away Sunday, according to a statement released by the band.

Although his cause of death was not disclosed, Rossington suffered from a series of heart-related issues over the years, including a heart attack in 2015. He also received an emergency heart procedure in 2019.

Members of Skynyrd paid homage to Rossington in their statement, "It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today."

They continued, "Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does."

As you may recall, Rossington was aboard a plane that crashed after it ran out of fuel over Mississippi in October 1977, killing three of his bandmates: lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.

Three other passengers also died, including the group's assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick.

Rossington miraculously survived, but his arms, legs, ankles, and pelvis were shattered.

It took 10 years ... but the band got back together in 1987 and Rossington rejoined it with a new line-up. Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Rossington was 71.

Tom Sizemore -- famous for roles in "Saving Private Ryan," "Black Hawk Down" and several cult classic movies -- has died.

The actor passed away Friday in an L.A.-area hospital after his family made the difficult decision to remove him from life support. The actor had been receiving treatment after suffering a brain aneurysm at his home on February 18, which caused him to collapse and lose consciousness.

Tom's rep, Charles Lago, tells TMZ, "It is with great sadness and sorrow I have to announce that actor Thomas Edward Sizemore (“Tom Sizemore”) aged 61 passed away peacefully in his sleep today at St Joseph’s Hospital Burbank. His Brother Paul and twin boys Jayden and Jagger (17) were at his side."

TMZ broke the story ... Tom was rushed to the ER around 2 AM, and was listed in critical condition while doctors worked on him in the ICU. He never regained consciousness.

Tom's manager, Charles Lago, told us his condition still wasn't good a week after the incident ... remaining in a coma in the ICU with no signs of improvement. We were told the medical staff at his location recommended an end-of-life plan, laying out options for the family.

Lago also said Tom's aneurysm was the result of a stroke he suffered, causing him to collapse.

Sizemore's legacy is certainly mired in controversy -- especially in his later years -- but for a time, he was a sure thing in Hollywood, especially as he started to blow up following a string of career-changing roles throughout the '90s, like the one he landed in Spielberg's World War II epic.

In 'SPR,' TS played Sergeant Horvath opposite Tom Hanks and other big actors as they sought out Matt Damon's character to relieve him of duty. Sizemore's performance was a standout one, and it actually earned him a couple award nominations.

Even before 'Ryan' ... Sizemore had already racked up several notable roles in flicks like "Where Sleeping Dogs Lie," "Passenger 57," "True Romance," "Natural Born Killers," "Devil in a Blue Dress," "Heat," "Enemy of the State" and lots of others. By this point, he'd carved out a nice little archetype for himself, often playing a tough guy and/or a hardened criminal.

The 2000s and the decades thereafter weren't nearly as memorable for Sizemore, but he continued to act in a lot of films -- the most noteworthy of which include ... "Pearl Harbor," 'Black Hawk,' "Dreamcatcher," "Red Planet" and "Paparazzi."

The late 2000s and 2010s saw Tom padding his resume with a lot of B-movie-level flicks/shows. All in all, he had 230 acting credits to his name -- but the appeal he held some 30 years ago had largely faded. Of course, Sizemore also battled addiction throughout his career.

He had been arrested on a handful of occasions ... a couple of times for domestic violence, and frequently for substance abuse-related offenses. Sizemore had been in and out of rehab for his addictions.

He's survived by 2 sons. Sizemore was 61.

Ex-NBA star Matt Barnes says LeBron James has done enough in a Laker uniform to be forever enshrined outside Crypto.com Arena ... but tells TMZ Sports they gotta focus on getting Kobe Bryant's statue up before they even think about it.

We spoke with Barnes weeks after James became the NBA's all-time scoring leader ... and we asked if the record, plus his one NBA title in L.A., is enough to get a monument at 1111 S. Figueroa Street.

The former Lakers forward says he's with it ... but not before Kobe, who has yet to get the treatment since his retirement in 2016.

"S***, they gotta worry about getting that Kobe statue up first," Barnes said at LAX on Wednesday.

The Lakers retired both Bryant's #8 and #24 in 2017 ... but as of right now, no details have been announced regarding his statue outside "The House That Kobe Built" -- aside from the fact it will happen eventually.

Of course, Bryant has been honored in many ways since his death in January 2020, including murals and themed basketball courts across the world. Sculptor Dan Medina, also placed a temporary statue of Kobe and his daughter, Gigi, at the crash site on the anniversary of their death.

The NBA also renamed their All-Star Game MVP trophy in his honor.

As for James, Barnes believes a King James statue in L.A. will still happen -- 'cause let's face it, he's "an all-time great."

"I'm sure they'll find a way to honor him with a statue," Barnes said.

If it happens, LeBron and Kobe will join fellow Lakers greats like Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and broadcaster Chick Hearn.

Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murders of his wife and son ... and the judge seemed to say the death penalty might have been more appropriate.

The life sentence was handed down Friday in a South Carolina courthouse ... the sentencing comes a day after the jury convicted him of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime -- a verdict reached by the jury after less than three hours of deliberations.

Before the judge handed down the sentence, Murdaugh maintained he did not commit the murders. The judge said it was heartbreaking for him to see Murdaugh going from a grieving husband and father to a killer. The judge noted prosecutors could have sought the death penalty, and seemed to say the death penalty may have been the right punishment.

After Murdaugh said he didn't commit the crime, the judge said he agreed it might have been an alter ego ... the monster within.

Murdaugh’s legal team told TMZ ... "We are disappointed in the jury’s verdict but we will not have any further comment until after sentencing."

Murdaugh's 22-year-old son Paul and his wife Maggie were found dead back in 2021 at their hunting property in Islandton, South Carolina. Murdaugh was originally described by authorities as only a "person of interest," largely because he claimed to have an airtight alibi.

During the trial, however, prosecutors introduced video and audio evidence showing that Alex’s alibi evidence was not credible, and placed him at the scene of the crime at about the time of the killings

Murdaugh later admitted on the stand that he had lied to authorities about not being at the property, but nevertheless insisted he had not killed his wife and son.

Oscar Pistorius could be released from prison at the end of this month ... the ex-Olympic sprinter is now up for parole in South Africa -- 10 years after he killed his girlfriend.

A hearing will go down on March 31, according to Pistorius' attorney, Julian Knight ... who added that if parole is granted during the proceedings, the convicted killer could be out from behind bars that same day.

Pistorius has completed more than half of the 13-year, 5-month sentence that he was given for shooting and killing 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in Feb. 2013.

You'll recall, Pistorius, a double-amputee nicknamed "Blade Runner," admitted to shooting her in his South African home -- though he claimed it wasn't on purpose ... saying he thought she was an intruder. He was eventually convicted of manslaughter, which was later upgraded to murder.

According to The Independent, Steenkamp's family is against Pistorius' early release ... though South African law will allow Pistorius to seek it nonetheless, as offenders in the country can apply for parole once they've served at least half of their sentences.

Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty in the double murder trial of his son and wife.

The jury took less than 3 hours to reach a verdict Thursday, announcing it in a South Carolina courthouse.

As we reported, Murdaugh's wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul were found dead in 2021 at their hunting property, and investigators say they were shot with 2 different guns.

Murdaugh was originally a person of interest for more than a year but claimed he had an alibi. Still, a grand jury heard enough evidence last July to indict him for the murders of Maggie and Paul.

During the trial, which started back in January, Murdaugh's supposed alibi was blown up when prosecutors introduced a bombshell piece of evidence -- video from Paul's phone recorded at 8:44 PM in the family's dog kennel ... minutes before the murders.

In the video, Paul's father is heard in the background, meaning he actually was nearby when Paul and Maggie were murdered.

When Murdaugh took the stand last month he broke down as he recalled finding his wife and son dead -- however, due to Paul's video -- he was forced to admit lying to authorities about not being on the property when they were murdered.

Under cross-examination, prosecutors grilled Murdaugh over stealing millions from his law clients, and his decades-long addiction to prescription pills.

The trial hit one procedural snafu on Thursday -- Judge Clifton Newman said one of the jurors discussed her opinion about evidence with 3 people outside court ... so, she was replaced by an alternate juror.

College baseball player Jatonne Sterling, a member of the Clark Atlanta University team, was shot and killed on Tuesday. He was just 20 years old.

The Atlanta Police Department said the tragic shooting happened less than a mile from CAU's campus in Georgia ... near a church.

According to cops, officers responded to the scene at around 1:42 p.m. ... and found Sterling suffering from a gunshot wound. They said he was "not alert, conscious, or breathing and was pronounced deceased on the scene."

Cops say they have launched an investigation into the shooting, but no arrests have been made yet.

CAU, an HBCU, and its athletics department mourned Sterling's death in a social media post, saying, "Gone too soon."

"Please keep Jatonne’s family in your prayers. 🙏🏾," the school added.

According to CAU, Sterling was a utility player on the baseball team who was majoring in computer science.

Before getting a baseball scholarship to play for the CAU Panthers, Sterling was a standout athlete at Chicago's Morgan Park High School ... where he won a championship in 2021.

His former high school baseball coach, Earnest Radcliff, told 11Alive he spoke with Sterling a week ago and looked at him like a son.

"I don't have any words to describe the hurt for this young man," Radcliff said. "No parent should have to bury their child."

R.I.P.

Aaron Carter's mom is not buying the notion he died of an overdose -- she's incensed the police aren't investigating his death as a homicide, and believes photos from the death scene contain some leads.

Jane Carter joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and shared her thoughts and suspicions about what really went down the day her son died back in January. As we reported, she just made the decision to release pics of his bathroom ... where he was found dead in the tub.

Jane tells us, while she knows Aaron was a drug addict, she doesn't believe he wanted to die ... nor does she think he would huff enough aerosols to kill him.

Instead, she's absolutely convinced someone was out to get him, and points out there were plenty of people -- including alleged drug dealers -- harassing Aaron online. Jane also claims cops did not do a thorough welfare check when they went to Aaron's home the night before his body was found.

Aaron's mom desperately wants investigators to take a much closer look at all possibilities of foul play, because, to her eyes, some things just don't add up ... especially when she sees how much water was left in the tub -- as seen in the photos -- after his body was removed.

Lavel Davis Jr.'s home state of South Carolina is making sure his name lives on -- and officials are doing it by naming a portion of a highway after the slain UVA football player.

The proposal was submitted to the South Carolina General Assembly in February, which is three months after Davis and two of his teammates were gunned down on the Virginia campus.

The request on the bill read, "Whereas, it would be fitting and proper to pay homage to Lavel 'Tyler' Norman Davis, Jr., an outstanding athlete and accomplished young man whose life held such promise but was tragically cut short by naming a portion of highway in Dorchester County in his memory."

According to Davis' cousin Sean Lampkin, Lavel's mother informed him of the great news on Thursday.

"Lavel’s mother, Simone, has informed me that the State of SC has decided to name a highway after Lavel Tyler Norman Davis Jr. near his HS," Lampkin said via Twitter on Thursday.

Lampkin says there will also be a ceremony to officially welcome the tribute.

The 9.6-mile stretch of Highway 78 will be named the "Lavel ‘Tyler’ Norman Davis, Jr. Memorial Highway" and will start from the 12.79-mile point to the 22.39 marker.

This dedication is one of the many that's happened since Davis, D'Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler were killed on Nov 13, 2022.

The University of Virginia posthumously awarded the three football players with their degrees ... and the Washington Commanders paid tribute with helmet decals featuring their jerseys numbers 1, 15, and 41.

The shooting suspect, Christopher Jones Jr., was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.

James "Tim" Norman, star of the reality series "Welcome To Sweetie Pie's," has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder-for-hire plot against his nephew.

Norman was handed his sentence Thursday, according to legal docs obtained by TMZ -- this after being found guilty in September of setting up his 21-year-old nephew Andre's slaying back in 2016.

As we reported, Norman was convicted of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Prosecutors said he tried cashing a life insurance policy on Andre worth $450K after working with a woman named Terica Ellis to pull off the killing.

FYI -- Ellis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and has pled guilty -- getting sentenced in January to 3 years behind bars.