Irv Gotti's brother Chris says DJ was eating Chinese food and playing poker moments before his death after refusing to follow doctor's advice

Nearly three weeks after Irv Gotti passed away, the cause of death was revealed by his brother, Chris Lorenzo. Per HotNewHipHop, Chris was recently on 2Way Tonight with Mark Halperin podcast, where he talked about the Remo Back rapper's final moments, saying:

"He ate a bunch of Chinese food while playing poker and had a massive hemorrhagic stroke, which is bleeding on the brain."

Lorenzo also shared that Gotti had been diagnosed with diabetes in his late 40s. Irv's unwillingness to go to the doctor led to his late diagnosis.

Gotti also refused to follow his doctor's orders about his lifestyle and diet, and in turn, struggled with health problems in his last years. He continued:

"Diabetes is not what kills you, it's always something else. It's what diabetes does to the body that actually takes your life... It all stems from the diabetic issues that comes from diabetes. You may have liver failure or kidney failure, and these are the things that actually consume or take your life."

Irv Gotti passed away on February 5, 2025, at the age of 54, and is survived by his three children - two sons and a daughter - from his first marriage.

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Irv Gotti's health condition was hereditary

Elsewhere in the podcast, Chris Lorenzo revealed that their father also battled diabetes, making his Irv Gotti vulnerable to the health condition.

Lorzeno added:

"When we talk about this topic, I watched him suffer the least three years of his life - so it’s about quality of life,' Lorenzo said. 'We all have to go at one point in time we just really wanna go on our terms - and Irv, sadly enough, he did go on his terms."

Chris Lorenzo's podcast appearance comes weeks after he penned a heartfelt tribute to his brother on Instagram. Lorenzo talked about how Irv Gotti built "a legacy from nothing" in the post, and how his impact would continue to live on.

Lorenzo also called Gotti's label, Murder Inc., a "movement" that opened doors for artists who didn't have a voice.

According to a Daily Mail article, Irv and Chris Gotti co-founded Murder Inc. together back in 1998. Besides the record label, Gotti also worked as a songwriter and producer behind many hit tracks from artists like Ja Rule, DMZ, Ashanti, and Jennifer Lopez, among others.

In recent years, Irv Gotti produced songs for Christina Milian, Fat Joe, and Kanye West.

Before Murder Inc., the Here We Come rapper was employed in the A&R division of Def Jam Records and helped the company sign Jay-Z and DMX.

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Several celebrities attended Irv Gotti's funeral

Over a week after Irv Gotti's passing, his funeral service was held in New York's Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral

on February 19, which was attended by a large number of hip-hop celebrities.

According to TMZ, the Murder Inc. artists - including Ashanti, Ja Rule, Vita, and Charli Baltimore - were all in attendance, and so were Angie Martinez, Fat Joe, Steve Stoute, Hype Williams, Benny Boom, and the Ruff Ryders.

Ja Rule, who was also a close friend of Gotti's, delivered an emotional eulogy at the service, saying:

"Irv is my brother. It’s the biggest honor you can give someone who is not your blood brother is to say they’re your brother. We started this journey together a long time ago. The man changed my life."

Then saying he loved Gotti, the Mesmerize rapper continued:

"Everyone in this room loves you. You touched everybody in your own way. I know everybody has their moments of that with him. So, we are all here in celebration of your life. Because it will live on forever. I love you, my brother. See you when I get there."

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Irv Gotti's stroke, which ended up taking his life, was his second one in less than a year.