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Stan Lee, the creator of much of the Marvel Universe, died from heart and respiratory failure ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained Stan's death certificate, and it lists heart failure and respiratory failure as the cause of death. It also says he suffered aspiration pneumonia -- which is when you inhale food, stomach acid or saliva into your lungs. According to the document, 95-year-old Lee died Monday, November 12 at 9:17 AM at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

TMZ broke the story ... an ambulance rushed to Lee's Hollywood Hills home earlier this month, and he was brought to Cedars-Sinai.

The certificate says he was cremated and his ashes returned to his daughter. His occupation was listed as a writer in the publishing business.

Stan was smiling and cheerful Saturday, November 10 during what would be his final sit-down with his protege, comic book writer Roy Thomas.

Stan had been battling several illnesses over the past year, including vision issues and a bout of pneumonia.

Stan launched Marvel in 1961 with the Fantastic Four and the comic book giant went on to spawn Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men, Black Panther and The Avengers.

Dana White just went scorched Earth on Oscar De La Hoya -- blasting the head of Golden Boy Promotions as a "f*cking cokehead" who irresponsibly let Chuck Liddell fight Tito Ortiz this past weekend.

"I love Chuck Liddell and I don’t ever want to bad mouth Chuck Liddell,” White said on the "UFC Unfiltered" podcast on Tuesday.

"People even think I’m remotely bad mouthing Chuck Liddell, but the reality is -- first of all, I heard last week the cokehead ‘Oscar De La Weirdo’ is talking sh*t that I don’t have any place to tell guys when to retire."

"First of all, it’s called ‘friendship’ you f*cking cokehead."

"I’ve been friends with Chuck Liddell for 20 years and the reality is that Chuck Liddell retired when he should have retired. Eight, nine years ago, however long it was. And, Chuck Liddell’s almost 50-years-old and has no business fighting anymore."

"The fact that the state of California even let that fight happen is disgusting. Disgusting."

He continued ... "Chuck Liddell has an incredible legacy. He’s a huge superstar in this sport, so of course as a friend, anybody who claims to be a friend of Chuck Liddell and was anywhere near this fight is full of sh*t. They’re not a friend of Chuck Liddell. To let him go in and fight this fight is terrible."

Of course, Chuck was knocked out in the 1st round of his fight with Ortiz -- and after the bout, he told TMZ Sports he's not sure if he'll step in the cage again.

Clearly, he knows how Dana feels about the situation ...

Dana and Oscar have been publicly feuding for a while -- ever since Oscar blasted Dana for the Mayweather vs. McGregor boxing match.

Oscar said the fight could kill the sport of boxing.

Kim Kardashian never touched ecstasy during the filming of her sex tape with Ray J ... so insist sources directly connected to the 'Love & Hip Hop' star.

Kim claimed she took ecstasy twice -- once when she married her first husband back in 2000 and again when she filmed the tape in 2003 -- and she says both experiences were bad for her.

Our Ray J sources say Kim took no hard drugs nor did she drink alcohol during the filming of the sex tape. They do say, however, she smoked pot around the time the tape was made ... and it was from a pipe shaped like a penis.

As for Kim saying her lip quivering was evidence she was on ecstasy, the Ray J sources fire back ... "her lip was quivering because she was getting ******."

Sources close to Kim tell us she stands by the claim she made on the show -- she did in fact take the drug before the tape was shot -- and she has nothing to gain from lying about it at this point in her life. We're told Kim is thankful to have learned early on from the experiences with drugs and attributes those lessons to her decision to not get heavily involved in drugs or alcohol through adulthood.

Our Ray J sources add he's offended that Kim would suggest she did the sex tape because she was in a significantly altered state. They say she was down with it from the beginning and all the way through.

Robert De Niro was treated to dinner and a show, and the big reveal got very personal for him ... which is why he whipped out his phone to capture the moment.

De Niro was the main attraction at a special event Monday night in Halifax, UK. While Bobby D was eating at a restaurant called Ricci’s Place ... speed artist Dave Sharp performed a dance and paint number that paid tribute to one of the actor's most famous movie roles.

The attendees all seemed pretty wowed by Sharp's artistry -- he first painted a taxicab, but once he added the finishing touches, it revealed a colorful painting of good ol' Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver" ... including his menacing mohawk and sunglasses.

Brandon Moore, the man who created the viral "What Are Those" meme, died Sunday and his wife tell TMZ it's a complete mystery what caused it.

Brandon's wife, Noonie, tells us his heart stopped while he was sleeping in their Northern California home. We're told his death was completely unexpected -- he didn't have any previously known health conditions.

Our law enforcement sources say an autopsy was performed and there are no signs of foul play ... or any obvious cause of death. Brandon's family and authorities are now waiting on a toxicology report.

The internet comedian, aka Young Busco, rose to fame in 2015 when he mocked a police officer's shoes as a joke. While his friend was being arrested, Brandon mocked the cop's clunky boots, saying ... "What are those?"

Brandon uploaded the clip and it quickly went viral and became a popular internet meme. The catchphrase appeared in "Black Panther" and was jokingly asked to Michael Jordan during a Q and A session at a basketball camp.

Brandon, a father of 9, was just 31.

Ariana Grande has been teasing fans and celebs alike to the point of torture with snippets from her "Thank U, Next" music video without a release date ... but now we know when it's gonna drop.

Sources close to Ariana tell us the project is set to debut Friday. The music video will highlight 4 female-driven films that have special meaning to Ariana. The movies include "Bring It On," "Mean Girls," "Legally Blonde" and "13 Going on 30."

Our sources say the music video will also feature a cameo from one of the Kardashian sisters, who we are told will bust a move for the cameras.

A teaser released for the project Monday night featured actors from "Mean Girls" -- including Jonathan Bennett -- as well as singer Troye Sivan ... so it's likely Friday's release will include several more celebs.

Ari fans were surprised to see Gabi DeMartino -- a YouTuber who has made a career off of spoofing the singer -- in the video. However, our Grande sources say Ariana actually enjoys the impressions and wanted to extend an olive branch to Gabi by inviting her on the project.

It's not just Ariana fans who have been bitten by the "Thank U, Next" video bug ... stars like Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Khalid and Normani have all blown the preview up too ... with comments like "This is so fire," "Yooooooo" and "yes pls give ur fans what we need."

The fans will get it Friday.

Jameis Winston has "reached an agreement" to settle the sexual battery lawsuit filed against him by an Uber driver in Arizona ... this according to court docs filed in U.S. District Court.

As we previously reported, the Uber driver claimed she picked up a drunk Winston from the Scottsdale bar scene in 2016 ... and during the ride, he reached over and grabbed her vagina over her yoga pants.

Two years later, the woman -- who goes by "Kate P." in legal docs -- filed suit against the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback.

In new docs filed in federal court in Arizona on Nov. 26, the woman's lawyer says "Plaintiff has reached an agreement with Defendant to resolve her claims."

"The parties are in the process of finalizing a settlement agreement but need approximately 10 days to complete this process."

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court docs. We've reached out to Winston's camp for comment, so far no word back.

For his part, Jameis has previously publicly apologized to the Uber driver and claims he has "eliminated alcohol from my life."

Tekashi69's still behind bars hoping to get out on bail, but now he has something else to worry about -- the feds announcing they've had a snitch in the rapper's crew.

We broke the story ... Tekashi pled not guilty in his federal racketeering case Monday, and a trial date's been set for September 4. Things got potentially worse for him when prosecutors revealed they are working with a confidential informant who's made recordings -- presumably of conversations with 6ix9ine.

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazarro, admits it's a serious development in the case, telling TMZ ... "Anytime there is a confidential informant, there is cause for concern."

In court, prosecutors boasted the recordings could send Tekashi to prison for life.

His lawyer's trying be optimistic, though, saying ... "I am confident that any recorded conversations with [Tekashi] will prove that he was never a part of the Enterprise and support the conclusion that he’s innocent."

Richard Simmons has struck a deal with "National Enquirer" in his transgender defamation lawsuit that will put the legal drama behind him ... for the most part.

Simmons has agreed to drop his appeal against American Media -- which owns 'Enquirer' -- after a judge ruled against him last year. If you don't remember, the fitness icon sued for defamation over a story published claiming he was in the process of sexual reassignment.

The judge sided with American Media, though, saying being misidentified as transgender does not inherently expose someone to "hatred, contempt or ridicule." Simmons filed an appeal shortly thereafter.

The 2 sides have now come to an agreement to drop it and move on ... but the terms are confidential. So, it's unclear if Simmons is still on the hook for American Media's legal fees.

Not everything related to the case is wrapped up -- he's still got a lawsuit out against the private investigator who allegedly planted tracking devices on him to try and prove the sex change rumors.

7:35 AM PT -- Whatever amount of money Damon got in the settlement, he's satisfied with it. He tells TMZ ... "I'm good. Just happy 2 people from the culture could work things out."

Lee Daniels is a man of his word -- he told us he would make things right with Damon Dash -- and now he has ... reaching a settlement in their lawsuit over a $2 million movie investment.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, both sides agreed to drop the matter and each will pay their own attorney's fees. As we first reported ... Dame was livid about the cash he'd given Lee to make a couple of movies. In fact, he got in Lee's face during a Diana Ross concert earlier this year ... demanding the dough.

Damon's next step was filing the suit for $5 million -- due to interest and lost profits.

Lee made it clear to us ... he'd settle the debt, and thanked Dame for supporting his projects when no one else in Hollywood would.

The docs don't reveal any financial details ... but based on Lee's own words, it's a good bet he forked a hefty chunk of change to Dame.

Nikki Bella is NOT reuniting or reconciling when it comes to John Cena ... and there's a perfectly logical reason she posted a romantic pic of them, making fans think they're tapping in on their relationship.

Sources close to Nikki tell TMZ ... the WWE superstars are still very much single, despite Nikki posting a shot of her and John cuddling in a hot tub at sunset.

We're told Nikki was simply reminiscing over the past year and thinking back on what she was thankful for -- she posted several pics of other people in her life -- and John was a part of that. Even though they called off their relationship and stopped talking to each other.

Haters will say she was trolling ... but we're told it was just some Thanksgiving reflection.

And yeah, sounds like the sun really has set on their romance. At least they'll always have #TBT if you're jonesin' to see 'em together again.

Tito Ortiz wants Chuck Liddell to hang it up for good -- saying he doesn't want to give The Iceman a rematch after last weekend's beatdown and feels bad for digging a pretend grave in the cage.

Tito wrecked Chuck's face in a brutal 1st-round knockout Saturday ... and says it became crystal clear to him that 48-year-old Liddell needs to stop fighting already.

"Physically, I don't think he should [fight again]", Ortiz says ... "I’m not even going to say I will fight him again, because I don’t think he should."

In fact ... The Huntington Beach Bad Boy seemed to feel sorry for Chuck after the big knockout win -- apologizing for his grave-digging celebration and showering Liddell with praise.

"Chuck Liddell was a great champion, he was a great fighter, great man, great father, and I’m thankful he gave me the opportunity."

But ... make no mistake -- Tito sure did love the result of fight night ... especially after all the smack Chuck talked in the lead-up.

"People have to understand that this is personal! It was completely personal."

As for Tito's future ... Ortiz claims he's probably done fighting -- but wants to stay in the fight game. In fact, he's already got plans to find the next Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

Boosie knows first hand how simple it can be for celebrities to sleep with their fans, so he can't wrap his head around why Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted a woman.

Boosie sat down with our Raquel Harper for Tuesday's episode of "Raq Rants" on BET, and she asked what his takeaway was from Cosby's sexual assault trial. He explained why the entire saga left him scratching his head.

The Louisiana rapper says women lining up outside hotel rooms for a chance to have sex with celebs is totally common. Now, Boosie was clear ... he isn't saying Cosby is NOT guilty -- but he definitely thinks some women have ulterior motives, and that might be the case for some of Cosby's alleged victims.

Blac Chyna's suspicions about YBN Almighty Jay cheating on her are inaccurate ... at least when it comes to his ex-GF, turned baby mama.

As you probably know ... BC dumped her 19-year-old piece earlier this summer, because she was fed up with YBN sliding into different chicks' DMs and possibly having a side piece.

His announcement over the weekend that he now has a new baby boy -- SirLucius Edward Scott-Bradley -- might seem to confirm her fears, but we're told the baby making went down before Chyna was in the picture.

Sources connected to YBN and the baby's mama, Dailyn Scott, tell us they met when she was working as a stylist for one of his music videos. We're told he knocked her up around December ... almost 2 months before he officially started dating BC, who was aware YBN was going to be a daddy soon.

SirLucius was born on September 4 at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. -- so the December conception tracks.

Almighty Jay was touring in Europe when the kid was born, but we're told he's been around ever since ... supporting the kid financially and seeing him as much as possible.