Murder Inc. founder Irv Gotti has died, aged 54.
The news was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter today (February 6), though a cause of death has yet to be revealed. His death comes after the record executive, producer and mogul suffered a stroke in 2024.
Gotti (born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr.) founded the early 2000s rap-focused stalwart Murder Inc. Records, home to acts such as Ashanti and Ja Rule. Gotti worked in A&R at Def Jam in the 1990s, where he played a major role in the label’s revival in the late ’90s after landing deals for the likes of Jay-Z, Ja Rule and DMX.
After Jay-Z’s and Ja Rule’s rise to prominence, Def Jam was valued at more than $100million in the late ’90s, which have Gotti the opportunity to expand the label through his new subsidiary Murder Inc.
Through Murder Inc., Gotti would expand his scope to work with other rappers and non-rappers including Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Aaliyah, Eve and more. Gotti also dabbled more in production work under the moniker DJ Irv.
As DJ Irv, he produced ‘Can I Live’ off Jay-Z’s acclaimed 1996 debut ‘Reasonable Doubt’. He later went on to produce for the likes of Vanessa Carlton, Kanye West, Christina Milian, Ashanti, Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe, R. Kelly and more.
In 2005, Gotti and his brother Lorenzo were arrested by the FBI and charged with money laundering and conspiracy to launder money. During the trial, the Gotti brothers were accused of laundering money from alleged drug kingpin Kenneth McGriff for Murder Inc. They were later acquitted of all charges in December 2005.
Following the trial, Irv Gotti’s role in music took a backstep as he turned his focus to producing for television. He starred in his own reality show Gotti’s Way for VH1 between 2007 and 2009. More recently, he developed the 2017 BET series Tales, a fictional show that plotted each episode on the concept of a rap song.
More recently, he executive produced The Murder Inc. Story, a five-episode documentary series in 2022 that explored and detailed the label’s timeline. The documentary courted controversy for his brother Lorenzo’s claims that Irv had an affair with Ashanti while married. Ashati spoke out against the allegation at the time: “We dealt with each other, but was Irv my boyfriend? Was I his girlfriend? Never.”
Finally, in 2024, Irv Gotti was anonymously accused of repeated sexual assault during an abusive relationship dated between 2020 and 2022. His brother Lorenzo “categorically” denied the allegations.
See some tributes to the late Irv Gotti below.
Irv Gotti sold tens of millions of records as a producer, put out multiple platinum-plus artists on his label, dominated radio with Ja Rule & Ashanti, brought Jay-Z & DMX to Def Jam and beat the Feds in court. Legendary run.
Rest in Peace. pic.twitter.com/YDJ1IiJbC4
— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) February 6, 2025
It’s a sad day for Hip Hop as we’ve lost one of its greatest visionaries according to The Hollywood Reporter and TMZ. 💔
As the co-founder of Murder Inc. Records, Irv Gotti shaped an era—delivering timeless hits, iconic anthems, and launching legendary careers that left an… pic.twitter.com/srhYmOPBf2— BET (@BET) February 6, 2025
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