Michael Jackson's downfall can be directly traced to the 1984 Pepsi commercial that set his hair ablaze ... and we connect the dots in our new documentary -- "TMZ Presents: Michael Jackson: 30 Fatal Seconds."
We reveal shocking, never-before-seen footage of the infamous fire that engulfed Michael's head at the Shrine Auditorium in Downtown L.A.
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Brian Panish, the attorney for the Jackson family, believes the Pepsi commercial incident is what ultimately led to Michael's death.
Motown Productions President Suzanne De Passe says what happened to Michael was so egregious, she's surprised he didn't end up owning Pepsi. She believes every aspect of Michael's life was negatively impacted on that fateful day ... telling us it was a heartbreaking, sad and horrible moment in Michael's life.
Rapper Lil Poppa died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound ... TMZ has learned.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Georgia tells TMZ the rapper -- real name Janarious Mykel Wheeler -- died after being shot in the head ... his death has been ruled a suicide.
Here's the first look at former Prince Andrew leaving a police station in England ... and he's in the back seat of a Range Rover.
Andrew was arrested earlier today on suspicion of sending confidential British trade reports to Jeffrey Epstein back in 2010 ... allegedly revealed in Epstein Files documents amid his longtime friendship with the convicted pedophile.
It looks like Andrew is trying to lie down in the back seat of the Range Rover to avoid being seen by a horde of press that was camped out at the police station ... but a photog got the money shot.
Ghislaine Maxwell apparently has a jealous streak just now coming to light, and it relates to special act -- a urine fetish -- and, it was recently uncovered in Jeffrey Epstein file emails.
Here's the deal ... we've just found a 2002 email exchange in the massive trove of Epstein documents released earlier this year, between Maxwell and a man named Philip Levine, in which Maxwell asks Levine how he could send her pictures of "Baron" being "unfaithful" to her with another woman.
She explains ... "I am devastated. Tell me he did not pee on her too. At least if he did not do that I know that he does not feel threatened so I still hold pride of place." It's unclear if Ghislaine's joking in her email or totally serious.
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If you know springtime allergies are about to kick your ass ... then you might as well get prepared.
With allergy season quickly approaching, avoid the sneezing, congestion and puffy eyes with the help of these sinus-saving essentials that'll give you back your ability to breathe like a normal person.
From air purifiers to HEPA vacuums, you'll have all the tools you need to fight back against pollen, dust and dander.
The Guthrie family now has even more help in tracking down their missing matriarch, Nancy ... Mexican nonprofit org Madres Buscadoras de Sonora (Spanish for "Searching Mothers of Sonora") tells TMZ they've joined the effort in bringing Nancy back home.
The group's founder, Ceci Flores Armenta, tells us a reporter reached out to the organization and requested their help. Ceci says the Guthries did not contact them, contrary to reports, but she says they hope to contact the family today.
Guadalupe Trejo -- one of the moms searching in Tucson, Arizona, on behalf of the organization -- tells us ... she's been combing the terrain outside Nancy's house, with 2 other moms still on the way.
Savannah Chrisley says President Trump is NOT a racist ... but the women on "The View" beg to differ ... and they confronted her right to her face!!!
Check out this clip from Savannah's guest host appearance on the ABC daytime talk show ... during the hot topics discussion today, she says it's hard for her to reckon with people calling Trump a racist.
Savannah goes on to say Trump can't be a racist because "he saved one of my best friends' lives, a Black woman who has been with him for 18 years."
Sunny Hostin quickly fired back that just because Trump has a Black friend doesn't mean he's not a racist.
The search to locate Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper is being looked at through a new lens ... it's not about tips or what we've seen of the abductor on camera ... it's about finding someone who fits that description -- who has been missing for 3 weeks.
Law enforcement sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... they want people -- especially in the Tucson area -- to think about who has gone MIA for the last 3 weeks, and there's now a fair amount of information that could help ID the kidnapper.
The man is somewhere between 5'9" and 5'10" with an average build and facial hair -- a mustache or a goatee/beard. If the ransom letters TMZ received are authentic, he's smart and very tech-savvy. Authorities believe he lives in the Tucson area.
The kidnapper has an Ozark Trail Hiker backpack, a coat we believe is an Athletic Works Fusion Knit jacket, a polyester holster, and a semi-automatic handgun.
Former Prince Andrew is under arrest by police in England in relation to documents revealed in the Epstein Files ... which detail his longtime friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The disgraced ex-royal -- who now goes by his name Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor -- was apprehended by Thames Valley Police officers on suspicion of misconduct in public office at his home today, on his 66th birthday. The arrest comes a couple weeks after an anti-royal organization asked authorities to investigate whether Andrew shared confidential British financial info with Epstein in 2010.
The police department issued a press release, saying a man in his 60s was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and that officers are currently searching two addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk, which are located in the eastern part of England. A conviction carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in the United Kingdom.
The release noted police "will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance" ... in response to direct queries about the former prince.
One of Shia LaBeouf's alleged assault victims from his crazy night in New Orleans Monday told police Shia repeatedly hurled gay slurs at him during the alleged attack.
In the official police incident report, obtained by TMZ, Shia allegedly called two men the F-word multiple times while striking them with closed fists. But he didn't stop there, continuing to spew slurs at them even when the cops were investigating the scene and arresting him.
According to the report, Shia said at one point, "These f*****s put me in jail. I'm a Catholic."
Prince Andrew’s fall from grace just hit a new low ... because neither King Charles III nor Buckingham Palace got a heads-up before cops swooped in and arrested him today.
BBC News reports the bust went down without any warning given to the King or any palace insiders -- the disgraced ex-royal was cuffed Thursday morning in England in connection with explosive revelations from the Epstein Files ... he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office for allegedly sending confidential British trade reports to Epstein back in 2010.
Once Charles got wind of the drama, he wasted no time distancing himself -- releasing a statement making it crystal clear he fully backs the police probe into Andrew’s alleged ties to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor -- formerly known as Prince Andrew -- was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office ... and the alleged emails he shared with Jeffrey Epstein may have played a major role in the police investigation.
While allegations of sexual assault have plagued Andrew for years, the latest Epstein Files drop stirred up new suspicions of a completely different nature as well ... the former Duke of York is now accused of using his role as Britain's special envoy for international trade to share confidential information with Epstein.
According to reports, one email sent in November 2010 appears to show Andrew telling Epstein they have "some interesting things to discuss and plot."
An out-of-control driver slammed into the back of a school bus on a Florida street, shearing off his roof, somehow survived ... and later got arrested for an unrelated crime.
Here's the deal ... the Lee County Sheriff's Office shared a video of a Jaguar rapidly acceleratingdown a road in Fort Myers Wednesday, running headlong into the bright yellow bus.
It looks like a pretty nasty crash initially ... with the car wedged hard underneath the rear of the bus. However, authorities say the driver -- 32-year-old Jacob Novak -- was relatively uninjured and no children were riding in the bus at the time. The bus driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Tawnia McGeehan -- who allegedly killed her 11-year-old daughter Addi Smith in an apparent murder-suicide -- was plagued by "mean" texts from other parents on her daughter's cheerleading team, according to a new report.
According to The New York Post, Tawnia's mom, Connie, believes Tawnia had issues with some of the other moms on the team that had been boiling over.
Connie told The Post ... "There's one or two ladies that she never got along with, and it got really bad a month ago. In the last comp they had, another girl got dropped and some of the moms were saying it was because of Addi. They were texting [Tawnia] mean stuff and blaming Addi."
The Pima County Sheriff's Department is the subject of a hit reality TV show ... but, don't expect to see any of the Nancy Guthrie investigation featured on the show.
Here's the deal ... last year, an A&E camera crew filmed the first season of the show "Desert Law" -- currently being rolled out on the channel -- which followed deputies from the department. Sheriff Chris Nanos doesn't appear on the program.
Production sources tell us ... they have not been filming "Desert Law" during the Nancy Guthrie investigation. The show has been in the can for quite a while, and they're not looking to do reshoots.
