Def Jam-mer Dead at 31

Shakir Stewart, the 31-year old executive who just months ago succeeded Jay-Z as top dog of hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, shot and killed himself on Saturday.

"Stewart was found Saturday afternoon in the bathroom of his home in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta," Cobb County police spokeswoman Cassie Reece said. "He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital."

Police acknowledge that Stewart died from a "self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Shakir most notably signed R&B star Beyoncé and Ciara.

"Whatever happened over the past 24 hours is not a testament to who we all know," Christopher Hicks, a close friend of Stewart told press.

"He was a one-of-a-kind individual."