Shakir Stewart family plans private funeral
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, November 03, 2008
A private funeral service will be held for Atlanta music executive Shakir Stewart, who was found dead at his Marietta home Saturday of an apparent suicide.
Arrangements are pending, said a spokesman at Murray Bros. Cascade Chapel in Atlanta.
Stewart, 34, was found dead in the bathroom of his home on Lindsey Drive off lower Roswell Road in east Cobb. Police believe he shot himself with a handgun. They declined to release any further details Monday.
Stewart ran the day-to-day operations of Def Jam Recordings, the best known hip-hop label in the country. He was named executive vice president about five months ago, succeeding rap superstar Jay-Z.
“It is difficult to express or explain in words what led to the tragic occurrence on Saturday,” Stewart’s fiance, Michelle Rivers said in a statement released through Island Def Jam Music Group. “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.”
An autopsy report will take up to 12 weeks, according to the county’s medical examiners office.
