Irv Gotti, a well-known music producer and co-founder of Murder Inc. Records who collaborated with musicians such as Ashanti and Ja Rule, died at the age of 54, PEOPLE reported.

We have not determined the cause of death. However, a source informed People. Gotti suffered a number of strokes in recent years and was diabetic. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report on Gotti’s death.

Gotti was candid about his health issues in the months running up to his death. In August, TMZ alleged that he suffered a stroke, citing hip-hop record executive and manager Wack 100, who stated he spoke with someone in a stroke rehabilitation center.

“Irv has been struggling with diabetes for years, which caused him to have a minor stroke over six months ago,” Gotti’s agent told TMZ in August. “He has subsequently adjusted his diet to be more healthful. He has fully recovered. Irv is not in a rehabilitation institution. He is at home with his family and enjoying life.”

Gotti also discussed his diabetes experience during an August 2023 episode of Revolt TV’s Drink Champs.

“It runs rampant with Black people,” he remarked of the illness. “What it does is start deteriorating your body.”

When asked if he “had it under control,” he replied, “No,” noting that “it is hereditary.”

Although surgery is “reversible,” he claims it necessitated a lifestyle change that he was afraid to implement.

In July 2024, a lady accused him of sexual assault and abuse, claiming he raped and mistreated her between 2020 and 2022.

Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., began making his mark on the music business in the late 1990s. He began his career as an A&R for Def Jam Recordings, where he signed legendary artists like DMX, Jay-Z, and Ja Rule. Gotti produced Jay-Z’s first album, Reasonable Doubt, which featured the song “Can I Live.”

Gotti then co-founded Murder Inc. Records, a Def Jam subsidiary, in 1998, which helped start the careers of Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd, and others.

After rebranding his label, The Inc., Gotti joined the music industry by signing Vanessa Carlton. He co-produced her 2007 album Heroes and Thieves with Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind and Rick Rubin.

Throughout his decades-long career, he collaborated with singers such as Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, and Jennifer Lopez, creating successes including Ashanti’s breakout smash “Foolish” and “Always On Time,” as well as Lopez and Ja Rule’s duets “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny.”

Angie, Sonny, and JJ, Gotti’s three children, survive him.