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Def Jam Executive Vice President Shakir Stewart reportedly committed suicide this weekend in his Atlanta home. He was 34. Stewart was tabbed to replace Jay-Z's role at Def Jam after the rapper left after signing a deal with Live Nation. Prior to filling the EVP position, Stewart signed multi-platinum artists like Young Jeezy and Rick Ross. According to reports, Stewart was found in his Atlanta home, a victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. In a statement, Stewart's fiancée Michelle Rivers said "Over the past several weeks, Shakir's behavior was inconsistent with the man we all know and love. As much as we all tried to help him, Shakir was in deep pain and largely suffering in silence." Island Def Jam also issued a statement, saying, "Shakir was an amazing man, in every sense of the word. A truly incredible friend and father who was an inspiration to not only our artists and employees, but to his family and the many people who had the privilege of counting him as a friend. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family at this very difficult time."
Most top music industry executives saw their compensation packages increase in 2011, according to an analysis by THR.
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Chris Lighty, the savvy entrepreneur who founded Violator Management and one of the key executives in hip-hop history, has died. The news was confirmed to Billboard today by a source at Primary Violator Management. He was 44. A spokeman for the New York Police Department told the Associated Press that Lighty was found at his apartment in the Bronx with a gunshot wound to the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said the shooting appeared to be self-inflicted. Violator was a pioneering management/marketing/record label/multi-media entertainment conglomerate. The powerhouse merger between that company and Larry Mestel's Primary Wave Talent Managament firm took place last September; at the time of his death, Lighty was chief operating officer of Primary Violator.
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