Def Jam Shakir Stewart Died of an Apparent Suicide

Shakir Stewart, 34-year-old executive vice president of Def Jam Recordings died on Saturday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near Atlanta, police said Sunday.

Stewart was found about 4 p.m. Saturday in the bathroom of his house on Lindsey Drive in Marietta, Georgia. Police spokeswoman Cassie Reece said Stewart shot himself with a handgun but wouldn’t say who discovered him. Stewart was pronounced dead at WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

Stewart ran the day-to-day operations of Def Jam, the best-known hip-hop label in the country. He was named executive vice president about five months ago, succeeding rap superstar Jay-Z.

Christopher Hicks, a friend of 18 years and fellow music executive, last spoke with Stewart about a week ago. "Whatever happened over the past 24 hours is not a testament to who we all know," Hicks told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sunday. "He was a one-of-a-kind individual. If you looked on his Blackberry (stamp) it said ‘One of one.’"