The "In Da Club" rapper took to Instagram to pay his own kind of tribute to the late Murder Inc. founder, who was a close associate of his longtime rival, Ja Rule.

Irv Gotti, the famed hip-hop music executive from New York City, has died at the age of 54. Def Jam Recordings shared a message on social media late Wednesday night confirming his death, saying the label is "deeply saddened.

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.