Music producer Irv Gotti died after a stroke Feb. 5. His clients included Jennifer Lopez, Ja Rule, Ashanti, DMX, and JAY Z.

Irv Gotti, the famed hip-hop music executive from New York City, has died at the age of 54. Def Jam Recordings shared a message on social media late Wednesday night confirming his death, saying the label is "deeply saddened.

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, 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

Irv Gotti, the Def Jam record executive behind the Murder Inc. label, has died. He was 54. In a statement posted to Gotti’s Instagram, his family wrote that “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father,

Irv Gotti, a famed music producer and founder of the hip-hop label Murder Inc., died. He was 54. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Irving 'Irv Gotti' Lorenzo,