Irv Gotti, the hip hop producer and music executive who co-founded the Murder Inc. label and was instrumental in the rise of stars like DMX, Ja Rule and Ashanti, died Wednesday. He was 54. His cause of death has not been made public,

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.

Irv Gotti, the music mogul who built Murder Inc. Records into a dominant force in early 2000s hip-hop and R&B, has died at 54. The cause of death hasn’t been confirmed, but the producer had suffered strokes and diabetes-related issues.