New York hip-hop mogul commits suicide

NEW YORK — Chris Lighty, the New York hip-hop mogul behind megastars like 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Sean “Diddy” Combs, has committed suicide with a gunshot to the head, police said on Friday.

Lighty, 44, got his start carrying crates of records for rappers before climbing the music business ladder, creating his successful Violator Management company and taking major hip-hop performers under his wing.

The New York Police Department said he was found dead in his Bronx house with a bullet wound in the head.

“A black semi-automatic firearm was recovered at the scene,” police Officer Markowski told AFP. She said she was not permitted to give her first name. “There’s no criminality suspected.

According to the New York Daily News, Lighty committed suicide right after a dispute with his wife, who filed for divorce last year. Despite his success, Lighty was reportedly suffering major financial strains, including unpaid taxes and bank overdraft fees.