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.

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.

Gotti produced nearly 30 Hot 100 chart hits in the US for artists including Ashanti, Ja Rule, Ye, DMX, Fat Joe, Mary J Blige and Jay-Z.

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.

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.

Friends and family of the late music czar Irving 'Irv Gotti' Lorenzo have attended the Murder Inc founder's funeral service. In a post shared by TNT, Gotti's artist and good friend, Ja Rule, is seen emotionally remembering the mogul who brought him,

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,