I was really torn on whether or not to post something when I heard the news Saturday night. There is a time when your editorial obligations conflict with your moral obligations. So, I chose NOT to mention the news about the death of Shakir Stewart.

I didn’t know him well but he was an acquaintance. Someone who was a classic southern gentleman and a smart business man as well. You never know what goes on behind closed doors or in someone’s personal life. I know many of Shakir’s closest friends, and I know that they are really having a difficult time making sense of it all. To my friends Chris Atlas, Chris Hicks, M. Kasim Reed, Ryan Glover, Tameka Foster Raymond, Hannah Kang, Kenny Burns and many more– my heart and sincerest condolences go out to you and Shakir’s family.

These are times when friends need one another– so ladies, if you haven’t picked up the phone to call a friend just to say hello and check in on them, let this story serve as motivation.

Musically yours, Joi

Def Jam Executive Shakir Stewart Committed Suicide, Police Confirm

The 34-year-old label head died of self-inflicted gunshot wound on Saturday.

MTV.com By Gil Kaufman

tlanta police confirmed on Sunday that Def Jam Executive Vice President Shakir Stewart died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 34-year-old was found in a bathroom in his Atlanta-area home on Saturday and was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Stewart is credited with helping to put the Atlanta music scene on the map through his party promotions firm and the Noontime Entertainment production company that helped bring producer Jazze Pha to the front. He rose quickly during a four-year stint at Def Jam, capped off by his ascension to the top spot earlier this year, after Jay-Z’s departure from the label in December. Stewart was instrumental in signing such current Def Jam stars as Young Jeezy and Rick Ross.

One of Stewart’s long time friends, Christopher Hicks, said he last spoke to Stewart about a week ago. “Whatever happened over the past 24 hours is not a testament to who we all know,” Hicks told the Journal-Constitution on Sunday. “He was a one-of-a-kind individual. If you looked on his Blackberry [stamp] it said, ‘One of one.’ … I mean, Shakir is the kind of guy who would get dressed up for a party none of us were invited to. … He had no doubt he was getting in. He was a ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’ kind of guy. Always.”

Stewart’s fiancée, Michelle Rivers, released a joint statement with his family on Sunday in which she said that “over the past several weeks, Shakir’s behavior was inconsistent with the man we all know and love. As much as we all tried to help him, Shakir was in deep pain and largely suffering in silence.”

More about the man:

VIBE.com Shakir Stewart Named Executive VP at Def Jam

Forwomenonline.com