RIP

Richard Roundtree, famoso por interpretar el papel protagonista en "Shaft", ha muerto tras una batalla contra el cáncer.

El actor falleció el lunes como consecuencia de un cáncer de páncreas, según informó su representante Patrick McMinn. Nos dicen que Richard fue diagnosticado hace dos meses y que su familia estaba con él cuando murió en su casa de Los Ángeles.

Richard es mejor conocido por interpretar al detective John Shaft en la franquicia original de películas "Shaft" incluyendo la película OG de 1971, "Shaft", la secuela de 1972 "Shaft's Big Score!", y la trilogía de 1973, "Shaft In Africa".

Richard fue considerado como el primer héroe de acción negro en Hollywood y su actuación en "Shaft" lo vio nominado a Nueva Estrella del Año en los Premios Globo de Oro.

Richard, el rostro de la franquicia "Shaft", también protagonizó la serie de televisión "Shaft" en 1973.

Cuando "Shaft" tuvo un remake en 2000, Richard retomó su papel de John Shaft junto a Samuel L. Jackson, que interpreta al sobrino de Shaft. También interpreta al personaje en la versión de 2019.

Richard también tuvo un papel en la famosa miniserie "Roots", interpretando el papel de Sam Bennett.

Más recientemente, Richard interpretó al padre de Gabrielle Union en la serie dramática "Being Mary Jane".

Gabrielle dice que trabajar con Richard "fue un sueño" y ella lo recuerda como "el hombre más cool en la habitación con las MEJORES vibraciones". Dice que la gente "literalmente corría para venir a verlo, todos lo amábamos".

La última vez que hablamos con Richard fue en 2018, cuando nos habló del rodaje de los reboots de "Shaft" con Samuel L.

Richard tenía 81 años.

The two teens accused of fatally mowing down a retired police chief were also caught on video running over another bicyclist earlier in the day.

In the new footage, Jesus Ayala, 18, and Jzamir Keys, 16, are seen driving in a stolen car down the street and coming up fast behind the helmet-wearing cyclist. One of the teens starts giggling while repeatedly saying, "Bump him."

Moments later, the car intentionally crashes into the biker, knocking him to the ground, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Luckily, the 72-year-old victim was not seriously hurt, suffering only a knee injury.

The clip then cuts to images of the suspects -- one of whom is wearing a face mask -- running from the cops in marked police vehicles.

Another part of the footage shows a police officer talking with one of the suspects sitting in the backseat of a moving patrol car after he's been captured.

The cop informs the teen they have tons of evidence against him, citing surveillance footage while mentioning his accomplice ratted him out.

As we reported ... Ayala and Keys were arrested August 14 after they fatally ran over retired police chief Andreas Probst who was on his bicycle, police said. The pair recorded themselves deliberately striking 66-year-old Probst after they seemingly filmed their role in the non-fatal hit-and-run earlier in the day.

Los dos adolescentes acusados de acribillar mortalmente a un jefe de policía retirado fueron atrapados atropellando a otro ciclista más temprano y todo está capturado en video.

En las nuevas imágenes, Jesús Ayala, de 18 años, y Jzamir Keys, de 16, aparecen conduciendo un carro robado y acercándose rápidamente por detrás del ciclista que llevaba casco. Uno de los adolescentes empieza a reírse mientras dice repetidamente: "Chócalo".

Momentos después, el carro choca intencionadamente contra el ciclista, tirándolo al suelo, según informa Las Vegas Review Journal. Por suerte, la víctima de 72 años no resultó herida de gravedad y solo sufrió una lesión en la rodilla.

El video muestra imágenes de los sospechosos, uno de los cuales lleva una máscara facial, mientras huye de los agentes policiales.

Otra parte de la grabación muestra a oficial hablando con uno de los sospechosos, que está sentado en el asiento trasero de un carro patrulla después de haber sido capturado.

El policía informa que el adolescente tiene un montón de pruebas en su contra, como las imágenes de vigilancia y el hecho de que su cómplice lo delató.

Como hemos informado, Ayala y Keys fueron detenidos el 14 de agosto después de atropellar mortalmente al jefe de policía retirado Andreas Probst, que estaba en su bicicleta, dijo la policía. La pareja se grabó deliberadamente golpeando a Probst de 66 años, luego de que aparentemente filmaran su papel en el atropello y fuga más temprano.

Paul Costict, one of the original members of the rap group B-Rock and The Bizz -- famous for the single "My Baby Daddy" -- is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Paul died unexpectedly Saturday at his home in Norfolk, VA ... according to a family member. The cause of death is unclear.

While it's unclear exactly how he died, the family member tells us they spoke to Paul Wednesday, he seemed to be in good spirits ... but mentioned recently being sick.

As hip hop fans may know ... B-Rock and The Bizz are a one-hit wonder, thanks to their 1997 single, "My Baby Daddy," which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard charts back in the day.

The song earned gold certification and Paul eventually ended up in a bitter dispute over his gold album with his ex-wife, Lasancious ... the exes fought over his plaque in a TV episode of "Divorce Court."

In addition to being a member of the band, we're told Paul was also the group's road manager.

Fellow band member Thaddeus "T-Bird" Maye grew up with Paul in Alabama and is remembering him as "a very funny and Kool brother."

Paul was 57.

Paul Costict, uno de los miembros originales del grupo de rap B-Rock and The Bizz —famoso por el single "My Baby Daddy"— ha muerto, TMZ ha indagado.

Paul murió inesperadamente el sábado en su casa en Norfolk y de acuerdo con un miembro de la familia, la causa de la muerte no está clara.

Si bien no está claro exactamente cómo murió, el miembro de la familia nos dice que hablaron con Paul miércoles, parecía estar de buen humor, pero mencionó estar enfermo recientemente.

Como los fans del hip hop ya deben saber, B-Rock y The Bizz son un caso de one hit onder, gracias a su single de 1997, "My Baby Daddy", que alcanzó el número 10 en las listas de Billboard en el día.

La canción obtuvo la certificación de oro y Paul finalmente terminó en una amarga disputa sobre su álbum de oro con su ex esposa, Lasancious. Los ex se pelearon por su placa en un episodio de televisión de "Divorce Court".

Además de ser miembro de la banda, nos informan que Paul era también el road manager del grupo.

Su compañero de banda Thaddeus "T-Bird" Maye creció con Paul en Alabama y le recuerda como "un hermano muy divertido y Kool".

Paul tenía 57 años.

Georgetown women's basketball head coach Tasha Butts has tragically died following a battle with breast cancer, the school announced Monday.

She was just 41 years old.

In revealing the heartbreaking news, school president John J. DeGioia called her death "a devastating loss."

"She was extraordinary," DeGioia said. "Tasha was a person of character, determination, vision, and kindness. She will be deeply missed by our community and by so many people around the country who have been inspired by her life."

Butts starred on the court at Tennessee from 2000 to 2004 -- playing forward for Pat Summit ... before she was picked by the Minnesota Lynx in the second round of the 2004 WNBA Draft.

She eventually got into coaching following her one season in the league, beginning as an assistant with Duquesne in 2007. She later coached for LSU and UCLA, before landing a promotion to the associate head coach role at Georgia Tech in 2021.

She found a ton of success as the leader of the Yellow Jackets, this despite being diagnosed with breast cancer during the 2021 season ... and in April, she was named Georgetown's head coach.

She stepped away from the team last month, however, to continue her fight with cancer.

"When I met Tasha, I knew she was a winner on the court, and an incredible person whose drive, passion and determination was second to none," Georgetown AD Lee Reed said. "She exhibited these qualities both as a leader and in her fight against breast cancer. This is a difficult time for the entire Georgetown community, and we will come together to honor her memory."

The school announced Darnell Haney will be the interim head coach for this upcoming season. It also said Monday it and the Big East will continue to raise funds and breast cancer awareness through her "Tasha Tough" initiative.

Angela Lee has no plans of returning to the cage after recently shocking the MMA world with her retirement announcement... telling TMZ Sports her focus is now on providing mental health services to combat sports athletes!

Lee -- who retired and vacated her 115-pound ONE title at Fight Night 14 on September 30 -- launched her non-profit, Fight Story, in honor of her younger sister and MMA fighter, Victoria, who died by suicide in December 2022.

Lee also revealed she attempted to take her own life in 2017 when she purposely crashed her car.

"I wouldn't say that I have fully recovered [from my sister's death] because healing processes take some time," Lee told us, "but I have gotten a lot better with the help and support of my husband, my daughter, and also with the nonprofit organization I created in honor of her."

Angela added ... "We're hoping to acknowledge our past and our personal experience but also take steps to proactively take care of our mental health [and] physical health."

The 11-3 mixed martial, who holds the record for longest championship reign in ONE, knows about the stress/pressure MMA fighters face ... and she pointed out combat sports athletes don't get the same mental health resources as other sports.

"I wanna highlight this group of individuals because the fact is the topic of mental health or mental health support is pretty much nonexistent in the fight world," the 27-year-old said.

"I think with Fight Story," Lee said, "we have lots of plans for the programs that we wish to implement and bring to the community."

Lee told us several fighters have already reached out to help the cause ... and they're hosting two big events, including a kickoff party that's going down on December 3 in Hawaii.

Angela says she's thankful for the support she's received ... and how it keeps the memory of her sister alive.

"I feel whenever I'm doing things with Fight Story, I really feel like Victoria is with me and helping me to work on this," Lee said.

"Something we're doing together."

12:57 PM PT -- A rep for Cher reiterated her denial about the kidnapping claim to TMZ, telling us ... "Not true thanks for checking."

Cher says she had nothing to do with the alleged "kidnapping" of her adult son -- this despite the fact her daughter-in-law has claimed the whole thing was orchestrated by mom.

The singer was asked point blank about this by the New York Post, which did a new interview with her chronicling her career and legacy. During the chat, they brought up this bizarre story that surfaced last month ... courtesy of Marieangela King (aka Queenie).

In recent court docs pertaining to her ongoing divorce from Cher's son, Elijah Blue Allman, King made a startling allegation ... namely, that Cher supposedly had Elijah forcibly taken from his hotel room in late 2022 ... this while he and MK were attempting to reconcile.

Per Daily Mail, Elijah had been staying at a hotel in L.A. for several months at the time -- allegedly battling substance abuse -- when this staged abduction/intervention took place ... so says King in a declaration she made in court. She claims that, as they were talking in his room, four men stormed in and snatched Elijah against his will ... dragging him away.

King alleges that one of the men revealed to her that Elijah's mom, Cher, had actually hired them -- adding in her court paperwork, "I am currently unaware of my husband’s wellbeing or whereabouts. I am very concerned and worried about him." She also said she believed he was at a rehab facility at an undisclosed location ... without access to his phone.

Now, one month after all these revelations surfaced ... Cher is outright denying any involvement. She told the Post, "I didn’t do it, and if I did it, I wouldn’t say I did it."

She adds, "You never stop being a mom -- you go to the end, you go to the mattresses when you’re trying to save your children. But I didn’t do it. And if I did it, I wouldn’t care to tell you." Interestingly, this echoes what she told People about 2 weeks ago.

At the time, she said ... "I’m a mother. This is my job -- one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children. Whenever you can help them, you just do it because that’s what being a mother is. But it’s joy, even with heartache -- mostly, when you think of your children, you just smile and you love them, and you try to be there for them."

FWIW ... Elijah's father, Gregg Allman, died in 2017 from complications tied to liver cancer. Also, we've reached out to Cher's team for further comment -- so far, no word back.

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Danny Serafini is in some MAJOR trouble ... 'cause he just got arrested for serious felonies!!

Serafini and his alleged accomplice, Samantha Scott, were busted in Nevada Friday for the 2021 fatal shooting of Robert Gary Spohr and attempted murder of Wendy Wood.

Cops said the victims were Serafini's in-laws, but they wouldn't characterize the relationship between the ex-Minnesota Twins player and Scott.

According to a June 2021 press release, officers were called to a home in North Lake Tahoe, California, and discovered Spohr had been shot to death.

His wife, Wendy, suffered a bullet wound in the same attack and was rushed to a local hospital, where she was released after treatment. She passed away a year later.

Security video from their house shows a hooded masked man with a backpack lurking around the property in the hours before the bloodshed. Investigators have not disclosed a motive, and formal charges have yet to be filed against Serafini and Scott.

Quavo's time away from music last year to mourn the death of his nephew Takeoff left an incomplete collaboration on the table ... but now, he's finished it up.

Up-and-coming rapper Swxm dropped his new single "Swim" Friday which includes a vibrant feature from Quavo ... a track he recorded in Spring 2022 after Swxm sent the track over to one of their mutual friends.

Swxm and Quavo shot the video that summer in both Long Island and Atlanta ... and he and his team worked diligently with clearance attorney lawyer Bob Celestin to get the appropriate paperwork.

Tragedy struck near the day Quavo's label QC/Motown was to sign the side artist waiver agreement -- Takeoff's death on Nov. 1, 2022 -- leaving the song to dwell in purgatory.

Swxm's team tells us Quavo's team reached out just last week excited about dropping the visual, and now we've got the song. Early reactions are good, and the vibes are classic Quavo.

Directed by WillC & Richie4K, the breezy record addresses topics of floating and pushing through life's adversity ... we're told making for an easy bond between Swxm and Quavo.

Swxm lost his mom ahead of the 2020 pandemic and we're told he stays busy by pouring his all into his music.

Since losing Takeoff, Quavo has also been on a mission for the better ... he and his Rocket Foundation just stormed Washington D.C. meeting with members of Congress in an effort to thwart gun violence.

Brandon Miller -- the ex-Crimson Tide star who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft -- has been sued for wrongful death by the family of the woman who was killed in a shooting earlier this year near the University of Alabama.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed in a federal court on Friday by Jamea Harris' mother, DeCarla Heard ... nearly 10 months after Harris was allegedly murdered by Miller's friend.

In the suit, Heard claims Miller played a significant role in her daughter's Jan. 14 death ... alleging Miller was the one who came to the location of the shooting with the firearm that Michael Davis then used to kill Harris.

Heard claims Miller, Davis and former Tide basketball player Darius Miles had all been together earlier in the night at a row of clubs in Tuscaloosa, when Miller left because a line to get into one of the bars was too long. She says Miles left his gun in Miller's ride before the basketball phenom took off.

A short time later, though, Heard says Davis and Miles left the bar ... and got into a dispute with Harris, her boyfriend and her cousin. She claims in the suit Miles then texted Miller, now a Charlotte Hornet, asking for his "joint" because "someone was 'fakin',' meaning using words in an aggressive manner with no intention or ability to back them up."

Heard says when Miller showed up minutes later, Miles then retrieved the gun from the hooper's ride, before he handed it off to Davis. She alleges Davis then approached Harris, her BF and her cousin in a car and fired off rounds -- striking Harris with at least one in the face, killing her.

Heard is seeking damages ... claiming Davis, Miles and Miller "should have known that bringing a dangerous weapon to a dispute and discharging said weapon would likely result in harm to those around them."

For his part, Miller's attorney said in February that Miller "never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur." He was never charged with a crime.

As for Miles and Davis, both are facing capital murder charges over their alleged roles in Harris' death.

Kim Kardashian has been in court this week -- not as a lawyer or litigant, but as a prospective juror in a gang murder case ... TMZ has learned.

Kim was at the Van Nuys Courthouse all week, as part of a jury panel in a case where 2 men have been charged with murdering another man in a gang-related crime. We're told she was there 4 days in total, from Monday to Thursday.

Our producer was in the courtroom during voir dire -- where prospective jurors were questioned by the prosecutor and defense lawyers.

Kim made herself part of the group ... eating snacks in the courthouse hallway during the breaks with other prospective jurors. She dressed fancier than the others Thursday, wearing leather pants, high boots and a sleeveless white blouse.

Late Thursday, the lawyers agreed on 12 jurors and 4 alternates ... before Kim was ever questioned, so she was dismissed and left the courthouse ... having concluded her jury service.

In true Kardashian form, there were cameras from her Hulu show in the parking lot as she jumped in her SUV and left the courthouse.

Our producer says, at least on Thursday, the other prospective jurors were not particularly starstruck ... they treated her like one of them.

During the court session, Kim's bodyguard was seated right next to her in the front row of the peanut gallery.

As you know, Kim's gunning to become a lawyer. She's passed the California "baby bar" and is studying to take the actual bar exam for real.

Kim Kardashian ha estado en los tribunales esta semana. No como abogado ni como litigante, sino como una posible miembro del jurado en un caso de asesinato entre pandillas, según ha indagado TMZ.

Kim estuvo en el Tribunal de Van Nuys toda la semana, como parte del panel del jurado. El caso que se revisaba era el de dos hombres acusados de matar a otro en un crimen relacionado con pandillas. Nos dicen que estuvo allí cuatro días en total, de lunes a jueves.

Nuestro productor estuvo en la sala durante el voir dire (interrogatorio preliminar de un testigo o de un miembro del jurado), en donde todos los posibles miembros del jurado fueron interrogados por el fiscal y los abogados defensores.

Kim se integró al grupo, comiendo bocadillos en el pasillo del tribunal durante las pausas con otros posibles miembros del jurado. Eso sí, estaba más elegante que los demás el jueves, con pantalones de cuero, botas altas y una blusa blanca sin mangas.

A última hora del jueves, los abogados llegaron a un acuerdo sobre 12 miembros del jurado y 4 suplentes, todo esto, antes de que Kim fuera interrogada, por lo que finalmente fue desechada y abandonó el juzgado, así como su servicio como jurado.

Al más puro estilo Kardashian, había cámaras de su programa de Hulu en el estacionamiento, atentos a ella subiendo en su SUV y saliendo de la corte.

Nuestro productor dice que, al menos el jueves, los otros posibles miembros del jurado no estaban particularmente sorprendidos. La trataron como a una más.

Durante la sesión de la corte, el guardaespaldas de Kim estuvo sentado junto a ella en la primera fila de la galería.

Como saben, Kim quiere ser abogada. Ella ya ha pasado el "baby bar" de California y está estudiando para tomar el examen real.

7:11 AM PT -- Breakbeat's Dave Mays tells TMZ Hip Hop, “As we celebrate hip-hop’s 50th year, more than ever the hip-hop community needs a media platform that they can trust to bring a truthful and authentic perspective on so many important things happening in our world. I’m proud that Breakbeat provides this essential and valuable medium."

He adds, "And I'm so excited to be able to enlist the help of my longtime friend and one of hip-hop’s most formidable, pioneering, and fearless leaders to help Breakbeat continue to achieve this goal. 'Collect Call With Suge Knight' will awaken hip-hop fans worldwide and build bridges across multiple generations.”

Suge Knight might be locked up, but that doesn't mean his voice will remain behind bars ... cuz the Death Row mogul is starting a podcast from prison.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the first intro to "Collect Call With Suge Knight" -- his new podcast with Breakbeat Media CEO and The Source magazine founder, Dave Mays.

Dave tells us they've already stashed about 5 episodes containing half-hour conversations each ahead of the pod's official Halloween '23 launch.

As for topics covered -- we're told Suge won't leave much unturned when it comes to hip hop -- responding to the legions of artists/hip hop pundits who have been using his name for headlines and expanding on his thoughts of Snoop Dogg owning the Death Row brand.

Remember, Suge's got history with everyone from Master P and Wack 100 to Warren G and Akon ... so they're essentially all on notice.

Dave says the pod's not only about slinging mud -- Suge wants the younger generation to benefit from his experiences -- good and bad -- and will be looking to connect them with older artists and also fielding questions from the audience.

Breakbeat will be dropping podcast episodes weekly ... audio on Thursdays and video on Fridays on all major platforms with a sneak peek of the first convo coming on Oct. 24.

Suge called into TMZ Live not too long ago and told us he had no intention of snitching on Keefe D after his arrest in connection Tupac Shakur's murder ... so don't count on that happening on the podcast.

So ya, maybe the saying is true ... just about everybody DOES have a podcast.

Suge Knight puede estar encerrado, pero eso no significa que su voz no será escuchada. El magnate de Death Row está comenzando un podcast desde la cárcel.

TMZ Hip Hop obtuvo la primera introducción a "Collect Calls With Suge Knight", su nuevo podcast con Breakbeat Media CEO y cofundador de la revista The Source, Dave Mays.

Dave nos dice que ya tienen alrededor de cinco episodios que contienen conversaciones de media hora cada uno antes del lanzamiento del podcast de Halloween número 23 y, por lo visto, el personal de la prisión parece no tener problema.

En cuanto a la temática, nos informan que Suge va a hablar prácticamente de todo, respondiendole a legiones de artistas y expertos de hip hop que han hablado en su nombre. Además, va a compartir sus pensamientos acerca de que Snoop Dogg sea el sueño de la marca Death Row.

Recordemos que Suge tiene historia con todo el mundo, desde Master P hasta Wack 100. Desde Warren G hasta Akon... prácticamente todo el mundo estará involucrado.

Dave dice que el programa no es sólo acerca de slinging barro - Suge quiere que la generación más joven para beneficiarse de sus experiencias - buenas y malas - y se busca conectarlos con los artistas de más edad y también responder a las preguntas de la audiencia.

Suge llamó a TMZ Live no hace mucho tiempo y nos dijo que no tenía ninguna intención de delatar a Keefe D después de su detención en relación con el asesinato de Tupac Shakur, así que no cuenten con que eso ocurra en el podcast.

President Biden is urging Americans to support the war efforts in the Middle East and Ukraine ... he says we all have to come together to help defeat terrorists and tyrants.

The Prez just made his case for Congress to approve billions more in military aid to help Israel fight Hamas and Ukraine fight Vladimir Putin ... selling Americans on the battle between good and evil.

In a rare speech Thursday from the Oval Office, Biden says Americans must put their petty differences aside and unite against the bad guys ... he says if the U.S. gives up the fight in Gaza and Ukraine, it will only embolden our enemies across the globe.

POTUS says he's going to ask Congress to approve more military aid to help fight wars overseas ... while reiterating he won't send American troops to fight Russia.

We haven't seen a lot of rah-rah speeches from Biden in office ... and he's pretty animated here, at least by his standards.

The Prez says it's all part of keeping up with America's calling as a global leader ... and he says the world is watching and counting on us to save the day.