A founder of Murder Inc. Records, he helped launch the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti and was credited as a producer on 28 records that made the Billboard Hot 100.

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, the Def Jam record executive behind the Murder Inc. label, has died. He was 54. In a statement posted to Gotti’s Instagram, his family wrote that “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father,