Irv Gotti, a noted record executive, music producer and entrepreneur best known as the founder of Murder Inc. Records, has died, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. He was 54. T

Irv Gotti, a music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists such as Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died. Def Jam Recordings, which was the parent company of Murder Inc.

Music producer and mogul Irv Gotti, who helped propel Ashanti and Ja Rule to prominence and collaborated with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kanye West, has died. He was 54. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed for the Queens-born co-founder of Def Jam imprint Murder Inc.