Irv Gotti felt himself ‘deteriorating’ ahead of his death. Do we know what caused his untimely demise?

Murder Inc. Records co-founder Irv Gotti died on Feb. 5, 2025 at only 54 years old. A creative force who contributed to the careers of some of our best-known artists, Gotti’s untimely demise came as a massive shock to his fans, and many of those who knew him.

You may not recognize his name on sight, but you’re most certainly familiar with Gotti’s contributions to the world of music. He’s got producer credits linking him to a slew of high-profile stars, from Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule to Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Ashanti. Oh and remember Tales? The BET anthology series that took songs and made them into stories? Yeah, he was behind that too.

Gotti’s contributions are far-reaching, which left fans reeling after news of his unexpected death hit the web. He was still young — only in his mid-50s — and few fans expected him to leave this world so soon.

What was Irv Gotti’s cause of death?

In the direct wake of Gotti’s death, which was confirmed by numerous news outlets on Feb. 6, questions surrounding his health and cause of death near-instantaneously swirled. As noted above, Gotti was quite young, overall, and many of his fans expected him to live — and continue his contributions to the world of music, and in particular rap and hip-hop — for decades more, at least.

Comments from Gotti over the last few years have hinted toward the record executive’s failing health, however, and expose that Gotti recognized that his condition was worsening. For years now, he’s been on the decline, and things really worsened over the last few months. Gotti spoke openly about his struggles with diabetes, which had been plaguing him for years, in a 2023 interview on the “Drink Champs” podcast.

“My diabetes, my number’s been high,” he told the interviewers. “What it does is it starts deteriorating your body.” He added at the time that he felt his diabetes was not under control, and told the podcast “I’ve been diagnosed with diabetes forever.”

Gotti reportedly suffered a stroke in 2024, which left him requiring a cane to walk. He’d been using one for months by mid-year 2024, and fans quickly caught on. When TMZ caught up with a representative for Gotti in August, however, they assured the publication that, in the wake of his stroke, Gotti had “changed his diet to eating more healthy.” They added that the producer had “been successful in making a full recovery,” and that he was “at home with his family, enjoying life.”

That’s a bright side in all this sadness, and it means a lot to fans. While Gotti’s loss is hitting many people hard, its a comfort to know that he was happy and surrounded by family in the months and weeks leading up to his death. His family has not released an exact cause of death, but given Gotti’s open struggles with diabetes, many fans assume the disease is what claimed his life.

Def Jam Recordings, of which Gotti’s Murder Inc. Records is an imprint, put out a statement regarding the producer’s death on Feb. 6, writing that Gotti’s contributions helped reshape “the soundscape of hip hop,” and praised the producer’s “creative genius and unwavering dedication to the culture.”