Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti has died at 54. He helped launch careers for talent such as Ashanti, DMX and Ja Rule.

Famed music producer and Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti has died at the age of 54. TMZ reported Gotti died Wednesday in New York, but the media outlet did not specify the cause of his death. It only noted that he had been recovering from a stroke and battling diabetes.

Irv Gotti, the famed hip-hop music executive from New York City, has died at the age of 54. Def Jam Recordings shared a message on social media late Wednesday night confirming his death, saying the label is "deeply saddened.

Irv Gotti, a music producer and founder of an influential rap label, has died, Def Jam Recordings said. He was 54. Gotti was best known as the head of Murder Inc. Records, an imprint of Def Jam that signed chart-topping artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti in the 90s and 2000s.

Irv Gotti was part of a wave of hip-hop producers like Dr Dre and Timbaland, whose name carried as much clout as the stars they worked with Irv Gotti, the music producer who created hits for Ja Rule,

Famed music executive Irv Gotti, founder of hip-hop label Murder Inc. which produced superstars including Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died at the age of 54, according to the record’s distributor Def Jam.