Ja Rule struggled to get through his speech at Irv Gotti’s funeral following the Murder Inc. co-founder’s sudden death. The “Put It On Me” rapper, 48, choked up as he delivered a heartfelt eulogy to celebrate his longtime friend in front of the hip-hop’s finest at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York on Wednesday.

A private funeral service for Irv Gotti was held Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York.

Hip-Hop heavyweights and loved ones gathered in Queens to bid a heartfelt farewell to Irv Gotti and honor his life and legacy.

A private funeral service for Murder Inc. co-founder Irv Gotti was held Wednesday (Feb. 19) at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York. Among those in attendance, according to TMZ, were Murder Inc.

Irv Gotti, the music executive, songwriter and producer behind the reign of hip-hop and R&B stars Ja Rule and Ashanti in the early 2000s, has died. Gotti, the music mogul who co-founded Murder Inc. Records, was 54.

In 2022, Gotti infamously claimed he had an alleged romantic and sexual relationship with Ashanti during an appearance on the “Drink Champs” podcast. He later doubled down on his comments while appearing on an episode of “The Murder Inc Story,” claiming the pair had sex before the singer recorded her 2002 hit “Happy.”

In post shared by TNT, Gotti’s artist and good friend, Ja Rule, is seen emotionally remembering the mogul who brought him, DMX, and JAY-Z to Def Jam Records, essentially saving the label in the mid-late 1990s.

Records co-founder and music producer Irv Gotti on Wednesday (February 19). At 54 years old, Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., died on February 5. His passing came just months after reportedly experiencing a minor stroke,