Shakir 'Shake' Stewart, who stepped in as Def Jam V.P. following Jay Z, died of a self inflicted gun shot wound over the weekend. On Sunday (November 2), his fiancee, Michelle Rivers, released a joint statement with the rest of his family. ''Over the past several weeks, Shakir's behavior was inconsistent with the man we all know and love,'' the statement said. ''As much as we all tried to help him, Shakir was in deep pain and largely suffering in silence.''
The Oakland, Calif., native graduated from Morehouse College in 1996 and previously worked with the Hitco publishing company, where he signed Beyonce to a publishing deal, and Arista Records, where he signed Ciara. Shake also signed Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to Def Jam before being named VP in June.
