Irv Gotti, who founded Murder Inc. Records with his brother and built a hip-hop empire that produced some of the biggest rap and R&B albums of the early 21st century, has died. He was 54. His death was confirmed late Wednesday in a statement by Def Jam Recordings, which was the parent label for Murder Inc. when it was founded in 1998, and where Mr. Gotti had also worked as an executive. The statement did not say where or when he died or cite a cause. Murder Inc., which Mr. Gotti started with his brother Chris, helped launch the careers of the rapper Ja Rule and the R&B singer Ashanti. Their success propelled the label to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “I’m important in America because of hip-hop,” Mr. Gotti said in the 2022 BET documentary series “The Murder Inc Story.” “I love hip-hop with a passion.”

Irv Gotti, the producer and music industry mogul who launched the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti, has died at the age of 54, according to the Hollywood Reporter and sources close to the situation. A cause of death has not been confirmed, although sources tells Variety that he had suffered a series of strokes in recent months. Throughout his career, Gotti (born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr.) was a mastermind executive and record producer who shaped the sound of mainstream music at the turn of the century. With his Murder Inc. label, he dominated radio and charts by bridging the divide between pop and rap, serving as a marketing guru and, at the time, one of hip-hop’s most influential figures.

Irv Gotti — the famed music producer and record executive — has reportedly died. He was 54. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed his passing on Wednesday, February 5, following rumors he had suffered another stroke and brain bleed. The Post reached out to Gotti’s rep for comment. Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music, YouTube and Google, said in a statement to The Post, “Def Jam has lost one of it’s most creative soldiers. He was hip hop, and when we were on bended knee he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight, beautiful family from Queens and it’s an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv you will be missed.”