Atlanta-area authorities have confirmed the cause of death of Def Jam Executive Vice President Shakir as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, AllHipHop.com has learned this afternoon.
The 34-year-old Oakland, California native, who split his time between Atlanta and New York, was discovered around 4:00 pm Saturday afternoon (November 1) in the bathroom at his home in Marietta, a northwest suburb of Atlanta.
According to Cobb County Police spokesperson Cassie Reece, Stewart shot himself with a handgun.
Upon being discovered, he was transported to Kennestone Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In his four year tenure at Def Jam, Stewart rose through the ranks from Vice President to Senior Vice President of A&R, before taking over the position famously left vacant by Jay-Z earlier this year.
Those familiar with Stewart, who began his career in the entertainment business while still a student at Morehouse College, have echoed their disbelief at the shocking turn of events.
Stewart and his college inner circle are seen as largely instrumental in Atlanta’s development into a major force in the world of urban entertainment.
It was with Hicks, RyanKenny co-founder Ryan Glover and Henry “Noonie” Lee that he got his start, launching Ivory Coast Entertainment, a party and concert promotions company.
They went on to start Noontime Entertainment, the songwriting and production company which brought forth Hip-Hop producer Jazze Pha, and Grammy Award winning songwriters Bryan-Michael Cox and Johnta Austin.
Police would not release details as to who discovered Stewart. Stewart went on to work for publishing company Hitco, where he signed Beyonce Knowles to a publishing deal.
During his tenure at Def Jam, Stewart was instrumental in signing Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and others.
