By Charlie Rem and Ismael AbduSalaam
Stewart was also an avid supporter of Barack Obama and gave to the
incumbent president of the United States of America, despite the music mogul's apparent sudden death earlier in the month.
Stewart, the former executive vice president of Island Def Jam, made large donations to Barack Obama's highly successful "Campaign for Change."
Earlier this year, Stewart gave the presidential aspirant $2,300 as Obama forged ahead to be president of the United States, an historic goal realized on November 4.
One
insider wishes Stewart could have lived to see this day.
"I
don't know Shakir's mind state at the time of his death, but I somehow
feel that if he could have maintained to see Barack get elected, he
could have been charged to overcome any of life's obstacles," the
source stated. "This has been a rough year for a lot of people, but now
we feel anything is achievable."
Under federal law, individuals can give up to a maximum of $2,300 to in the primary elections and another $2,300 for the general election. Stewart made his donation as Obama battled Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, according to public records.
The 34-year-old Oakland, California native tragically killed himself with a gunshot to the head on November 1, according to Cobb
County, Georgia police.
Funeral
arrangements have been finalized for Stewart and a celebration has been announced.
The
34 year-old executive's life will be celebrated on Friday November 7 at
the historic King's Chapel, located on the campus of his alma mater,
Morehouse College.
Stewart
was in charge of running the day to day operations of Def Jam
Recordings, a responsibility he inherited after mogul Jay-Z officially
vacated the position in December 2007.
In his short tenure, Stewart oversaw the handling of Nas' critically acclaimed Untitled album, Young Jeezy's The Recession, and LL Cool J's last Def Jam project Exit 13.
Some
have questioned the death of the highly successful executive, refusing
to believe he could with such a successful career and loving family
behind him.
Kenny Burns, Stewart's friend of 17-years, stated that Stewart wasn't the sort to kill himself.
"Me
and Shake, we're men's men. We had kids, we're responsible fathers. And
the man that I know wouldn't take his life. That man was strong, it
ain't no street pressure, music business, L.A. Reid, these fake ass
artists…that ain't gon' tear nobody like Shake down," he told vibe.com "It's just something that I
can't see, nor accept. We wouldn't do that."
Other friends say that Stewart's demeanor had changed in the periods before his death.
Christopher
Hicks, music executive and friend of Stewart, told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, "Whatever happened over the past 24 hours is not
a testament to who we all know."
Conspiracy theories aside, police maintain Stewart died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in his house in Marietta, Georgia. He was pronounced dead at Kennestone Hospital in the day.
The
pending autopsy review can take up to 12 weeks to complete, at which
time the Cobb County medical examiner will declare a final verdict on
the cause of death.
The
funeral service at King Chapel is located on 830 Westview Drive in
Atlanta, and will commence at 3PM.Due to the expected high turnout the
family is recommending potential attendees to arrive at least an hour
early.
In
lieu of sending flowers or gifts, the family requests that a charitable
donation be made to the children of Shakir Stweart, Micaela and
Sebastian, through a website to be launched at a later date.
Donations can also be made by visiting any SunTrust bank location and requesting the Shakir Stewart Memorial Fund.
