Ja Rule, Def Jam & Others React To Irv Gotti's Death

The reactions to Irv Gotti passing away yesterday have been coming in left and right.

The Murder Inc. co-founder died yesterday, February 5, in New York City. The official cause of death hasn't been released yet, but it's been reported that he recently suffered a series of strokes. Irv was 54 years old.

Ja Rule, who Irv made a star in the early aughts, responded to the loss on Twitter with a simple broken heart emoji.

💔
— Ja Rule (@jarule) February 6, 2025

Def Jam also posted a message since Gotti worked at the label when he signed DMX, and later on when he co-founded Murder Inc.

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A post shared by Def Jam Recordings (@defjam)

"His contribution at Def Jam, as both an A&R executive and in partnership with Murder Inc. helped pave the way for the next generation of artists and producers, a force that reshaped the soundscape of hip hop and R&B," the label wrote in part.

Here are some more reactions from the Hip Hop community: