Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. on June 26, 1970, was a key figure in the sound of ‘90s and 2000s hip-hop, when brash lyricism and outsized personalities blended seamlessly with pop hooks and R&B tenderness.

Irv Gotti died Wednesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter and a source close to the music producer. He was 54.

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 hip hop producer and music executive who co-founded the Murder Inc. label and was instrumental in the rise of stars like DMX, Ja Rule and Ashanti, died Wednesday. He was 54. His cause of death has not been made public,

Irv Gotti, the music mogul who built Murder Inc. Records into a dominant force in early 2000s hip-hop and R&B, has died at 54. The cause of death hasn’t been confirmed, but the producer had suffered strokes and diabetes-related issues.

Irv Gotti, the music producer who created hits for Ja Rule, Ashanti, DMX and Jennifer Lopez, has died at the age of 54. Best known as the founder of the record label Murder Inc., his signature style of blending hip-hop beats with smooth R&B melodies shaped the sound of the charts in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Irv Gotti, the music producer who co-founded hip-hop label Murder, Inc., and signed stars such as Ja Rule, Ashanti and Lloyd, has died. He was 54.

Gotti started out in A&R at the hip-hop label, before co-founding the culture-dominating Murder Inc. imprint with his brother, Chris Gotti. In a statement posted to Instagram, Def Jam said the label was “deeply saddened” by Gotti’s death at age 54.