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,

Irv Gotti, the music executive, songwriter and producer behind the reign of hip-hop and R&B stars Ja Rule and Ashanti in the early 2000s, has died. Gotti, the music mogul who co-founded Murder Inc. Records, was 54.

A hip-hop music legend best known for his work with DMX, Ja Rule and Ashanti is dead at age 54.