Irv Gotti, the famed music producer, industry executive, and TV producer, has died at the age of 54. Def Jam Recordings, the parent label of Gotti’s Murder Inc. company, confirmed his death, though did not state a cause.

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.

"His contribution to Def Jam, as both an A&R executive and in partnership with Murder, Inc., helped pave the way for the next generation or artists and producers, a force that res