Irv Gotti, a music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists such as Ashanti and Ja Rule, has died. He was 54.

Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Famed music producer and Murder Inc. Records founder Irv Gotti has died at the age of 54. TMZ reported Gotti died Wednesday in New York, but the media outlet did not specify the cause of his death. It only noted that he had been recovering from a stroke and battling diabetes.

Music producer and mogul Irv Gotti, who helped propel Ashanti and Ja Rule to prominence and collaborated with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kanye West, has died. He was 54. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed for the Queens-born co-founder of Def Jam imprint Murder Inc.