Elton John and Billy Joel Bassist Dies From Suspected Suicide

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Birch was found around the corner from his home, dead with a gunshot wound from the head. We're told all signs point to a self-inflicted wound.

We're told authorities have not found a suicide note and there were no apparent signs of drug use.

Birch has been playing with Elton John since 1992, and was also involved in the biggest single of all time, "Candle in the Wind 1997."

Birch has also performed with legends like Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Cher, Sting, The Backstreet Boys, The Spice Girls, Clint Black and many others.

Here's Birch during one of his final live performances last year on David Letterman. more on this story

Kelly Clarkson Giving Away Her New Dallas Cowboys Anthem

Pepsi has hooked up 5 artists to write songs about their favorite NFL team. Other artists involved include Kid Rock (Detroit Lions), Travie McCoy (New York Giants), Ice Cube (Oakland Raiders) and Wiz Khalifa (Pittsburgh Steelers).

For Forth Worth, Texas, Clarkson was an easy choice to team up with the Cowboys. When Pepsi first approached Kelly about writing the song, she was so excited she wrote the lyrics that same night.

Fans can download the team songs for FREE; a new one will be available each week. Listen to it here.

Michael Jackson's Father Drops Wrongful Death Suit Against Dr Murray

Joe just filed a request with the court, obtained by TMZ, asking to dismiss his 2010 suit against Murray without prejudice -- a lawsuit in which he blamed the doctor for MJ's untimely demise.

In the suit, Joe alleged Murray withheld vital information from the doctors and EMTs who were trying to save Jackson's life the day he died -- specifically, that Murray had administered Propofol.

You'll recall -- Joe had also sued AEG as part of the lawsuit, but those claims were tossed out of court in February because Katherine had made similar claims in her own wrongful death suit. Joe's suit was deemed redundant.

But Joe's still got a hat in the ring -- he is currently a nominal party to Katherine's suit, in which Katherine and the family accuse AEG of breaching its agreement to provide physical care for Michael during his "This Is It" tour.

The lawsuit also alleges AEG was negligent in its hiring of Murray as MJ's physician.

Either way, it's good news for Murray -- because it's one less lawsuit to worry about ... for now.

Murray's lawyers Charles Peckham and Valerie Wass tell TMZ, the doctor didn't pay Joe anything -- and they have no idea why Joe suddenly requested to dismiss his case.

Peckham tells us, "Cooler heads have prevailed." more on this story

Blossom Star Mayim Bialik Seriously Injured In Car Accident

It all went down on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea around noon ... sources tell us the former "Blossom" actress was traveling alone in a white Volvo which was struck in the intersection by another vehicle filled with tourists from Chile.

We're told emergency responders raced to the scene. One source tells us there was "tons and tons of blood everywhere."

Sources tell us Bialik sustained major damage to her hand ... and "her finger was almost completely severed ... it was just hanging there."

We're told 36-year-old Mayim was rushed to a nearby hospital where she is being treated. more on this story

Kris Humphries' Lawyer Tried To Subpoena Kanye In Unusual Way

Kim's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, told the judge in the divorce case about the ploy during a hearing that is still going on.

Wasser groused to the judge ... Kim has already racked up $250,000 in attorney's fees, yet it's unclear exactly what Kris wants out of this.

Wasser said she's heard the reports that Kris and his lawyers want to put reality TV on trial, and there seems to be evidence to back that up. Wasser noted that Kris has served Kris Jenner with a subpoena and NBC Universal and Bunim/Murray, which produces the Kardashian's reality shows.

Wasser said she's perplexed as to why Kris Humphries thinks the marriage was a fraud -- because he went in eyes wide open. more on this story

Will.i.am Says His Car Really Was Stolen

Will is still FUMING about his ultra-rare, super-expensive, incredibly-hideous custom car ... claiming his $700,000 ride is still missing ... despite what his publicist is telling the media.

We broke the story ... Will claimed his car was "stolen" after a party in Hollywood this week ... insisting he left it with the valet at Bardot nightclub but when he went to get it back, the car was nowhere to be found.

The next day, we reached out to Will's publicist, Sallie Olmsted, and asked about the car ... she wrote back insisting, "Everything is fine, he has his car."

Hours later, Will went on Twitter and COMPLETELY REFUTED his publicist's claim ... saying "my car is still m.i.a."

Confused by the contradicting statements, we reached out to Will's rep ... who told us, "I wasn't on site at the time, but all is fine now."

Again ... someone is lying ... because just a few hours ago, Will tweeted again and totally contradicted his publicist ... saying, "According [to] my GARAGE it hasn't been found." more on this story

George Jones Plans Farewell Tour

In 2013, George Jones will mark the end of an era with a farewell tour for his fans titled "The Grand Tour". After over fifty years of touring, Jones has decided he is ready to slow down and spend more time with his wife, children and grandchildren. Jones was quoted as saying "It is tough to stop doing what I love, but the time has come". As a tribute to his loyal fans he wants to tour one more year and let them know, this will be his last.

The Grand Tour will visit approximately 60 cities in 2013. The star will perform many of his hits such as "White Lightning," "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" and "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". more on this story

Britney Spears Goes To Court

Britney was there for a status hearing ... she's shown up several times before to have a chit chat with the judge.

There will be no decisions made today -- it's purely for the judge to monitor Britney's progress, both personally and professionally. more on this story

Jessica Simpson's Father Facing Jail Time

TMZ broke the story ... Simpson was popped at a DUI checkpoint in Sherman Oaks, CA earlier this month ... and blew .12 on the breathalyzer test.

Now, we've learned ... the L.A. City Attorney has filed 2 misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence against Papa Joe ... which carry a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail.

If convicted on both counts, Joe could also face up to 36 months probation and a $1,000 fine.

Joe's case is scheduled to go before the judge later this month. more on this story

Evelyn Lozada Says Chad Ochocinco Johnson Needs Professional Help

Evelyn tells TMZ, "I am deeply disappointed that Chad has failed to take responsibility for his actions and made false accusations against me." As TMZ first reported ... Chad told police that it was Evelyn who actually head-butted him during their blowout argument dispute Saturday night.

Chad was arrested and booked for domestic battery.

Evelyn also says ... "It is my sincere hope that he seeks the help he needs to overcome his troubles. Domestic violence is not okay and hopefully my taking a stand will help encourage other women to break their silence as well. more on this story

Carly Rae Jepsen Releases Kiss Art

Jepsen has been riding high with the success of her smash single "Call Me Maybe," which has sold more than 7.3 million singles worldwide and has spent 9 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving her the longest-running US chart-topper of 2012.

Jepsen is set to hit the road with Justin Bieber next month on his headlining tour of North America; shows begin September 29 in Glendale, AZ. Check out the cover art here.

Ron Pope Maps Out Across the Yard Tour

Openers on the tour include Meghan Tonjes and Jesse Ruben, with more special guests to be announced soon.

The tour, which will be Ron Pope's fourth national tour since his first solo tour in 2011, celebrates the release of "Atlanta: The Deluxe Edition," set to be released September 18, 2012. more on this story

Terrell Owens' New NFL Contract Reopens Child Support Claim

Owens had filed legal docs last year -- asking to reduce his enormous child support payments to FOUR separate baby mamas -- because he was unemployed at the time ... and seriously strapped for cash.

But last week, Owens signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks -- a deal reportedly worth almost $1,000,000.

Which is why baby mama #4 -- a woman named Melanie Paige Smith -- has just filed papers, asking the judge to dismiss T.O.'s payment reduction request.

In the docs -- filed by Melanie's lawyer Randall Kessler -- she claims, "It is clear that a downward modification of [T.O.'s] child support obligation is not warranted" due to his new Seahawks contract ... as well as his income over the last 5 years, which Melanie estimates to be around $29,000,000.

According to Melanie, T.O. earned $7,000,000 playing for the Cowboys in 2007, signed a $13,000,000 contract with the Cowboys in 2008, signed a $6,500,000 with the Buffalo Bills in 2009, and signed a $2,000,000 deal with the Bengals in 2010.

And then there's T.O.'s indoor football contract with the Allen Wranglers -- which Melanie says was six figures.

But Melanie's math doesn't exactly add up -- T.O. was released from the Cowboys early, got injured mid-season with the Bengals, and was released from his Wranglers deal after less than a year.

Calls to T.O. have not been returned. more on this story

Halle Berry Putting Paparazzi On Trial Today

Halle will try to prove it's unsafe for her to continue living in the U.S. because the paparazzi have created extreme danger for her and Nahla. We've been in touch with various paparazzi agencies and know Halle's lawyer, Stephen Kolodny, has been on the hunt for video he can show the judge ... hoping to show Halle and Nahla being "terrorized" by aggressive photogs. The trial will become a video presentation, which will include a crazy scene where Halle had to call the Beverly Hills Police so she and Nahla could make an escape from a restaurant.

Ironically, Halle has subpoenaed her arch-enemy, paparazzo Andrew Deetz. You'll recall, Halle went nuclear on the guy (see video) after he dogged Nahla at her school. Sources connected with Deetz tell TMZ ... Deetz has not only been subpoenaed, he will gladly testify it's his job to be uber-aggressive.

And we've spoken with sources connected with expert witnesses who will testify Halle and Nahla will get safe haven in France, where it's a crime to harass celebrities in public. more on this story

Kristen Stewart Reportedly Furious She's Taking Heat For Affair

Our sources tell us ... Kristen can't believe the public isn't painting Rupert Sanders as the bad guy. She's grousing that he's 19 years her senior and was "in a position of power over her" ... being a director of a movie she had just shot and presumably someone she was going to work with again.

Kristen is also incensed that she's being called the big cheater. Although she knows she shouldn't have done it because she was in a committed relationship with Robert Pattinson, she feels Rupert is in a totally different and far more culpable situation, being married with 2 kids.

We're told Kristen fears her career may be irreparably damaged -- something she believes she doesn't deserve as a 22-year-old single woman who made a stupid mistake. more on this story

Controversial Olympian Marion Jones Moving Up In The World

In case you didn't already know ... in 2007 Marion -- who was considered a LEGEND in Track & Field -- copped to using steroids throughout her career and as a result was stripped of her medals, lucrative endorsement deals, and thrown in jail on charges of perjury.

But all that's behind her ... Marion and her husband just sold their modest 2,173-square-foot home ... and traded up to a much nicer 3,156-square-foot pad with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths ... all for a cool $212k.

With her new crib -- which is just a few miles from the old one -- comes a wooded deck ... 3 living rooms ... a huge master bedroom and a giant back yard where she can run around . more on this story

William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman's Stairway To Litigation

Felicity and Bill are being sued by a woman named Lourdes Orozco ... who claims she went down hard on the stairway from hell back in April, 2011.

According to the lawsuit the stairs were "dirty and poorly maintained," and lacked "regulated handrails."

The suit further alleges WHM and his wife were negligent ... because they "knew or should have known" the stairway conditions "could easily cause anyone to slip and fall, as in [Orozco's] case, resulting in serious personal injury."

The lawsuit also accuses Macy and Huffman of willful failure to warn Orozco about the allegedly horrendous staircase.

It's unclear from the documents what Orozco's relationship is to Bill and Felicity. She's suing for damages in excess of $25,000 ... including lost wages and medical expenses. more on this story