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. He was 54. Def Jam Recordings, which was the parent company of Murder Inc.

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

Gotti died at age 54 after cofounding Murder Inc. Records with his brother, Chris, in 1998. Irv Gotti, the influential music executive who cofounded Murder Inc. Records — the label that helped launch Ja Rule,