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.

Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti has died at 54. He helped launch careers for talent such as Ashanti, DMX and Ja Rule.

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

Famed music producer and Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti has died at the age of 54. TMZ reported Gotti died Wednesday in New York, but the media outlet did not specify the cause of his death. It only noted that he had been recovering from a stroke and battling diabetes.

Irv Gotti, a music producer and founder of an influential rap label, has died, Def Jam Recordings said. He was 54. Gotti was best known as the head of Murder Inc. Records, an imprint of Def Jam that signed chart-topping artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti in the 90s and 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.