Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti has died at 54. He helped launch careers for talent such as Ashanti, DMX and Ja Rule.

In 2022, Gotti infamously claimed he had an alleged romantic and sexual relationship with Ashanti during an appearance on the “Drink Champs” podcast. He later doubled down on his comments while appearing on an episode of “The Murder Inc Story,” claiming the pair had sex before the singer recorded her 2002 hit “Happy.”

Irv Gotti, the producer and music industry mogul who launched the careers of Ja Rule and Ashanti, has died at the age of 54, according to the Hollywood Reporter and sources close to the situation. A cause of death has not been confirmed, although sources tells Variety that he had suffered a series of strokes in recent months.