Irv Gotti sets record straight about suffering 'minor stroke' earlier this year
Irv Gotti's team is setting the record straight about the hip-hop mogul's health scare earlier this year after rumors surfaced recently that he had a stroke.
"Irv has been struggling with diabetes for years, which caused him to have a minor stroke over six months ago," a spokesperson for the Murder Inc. and Visionary Ideas co-founder said Thursday in a statement to TMZ. The rep, who was addressing rampant rumors that Gotti was using a walker while in a rehabilitation center, also said that he has since changed his diet and has been "successful in making a full recovery."
"Irv is not in a rehab facility. He is at home with his family, enjoying life," the spokesperson said.
Representatives for Gotti and Visionary Ideas did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times' requests for comment.
Read more: Besotted exec Irv Gotti says, 'God wanted me to find out' Ashanti was dating Nelly
The record producer — real name Irving Lorenzo — also gave a statement to the Shade Room, saying that he has been enjoying the company of his two sons and dogs and is focusing on his upcoming biopic about late rapper DMX, who was long signed to Gottis' record label.
“I’m getting older. That’s all,” Gotti reportedly said. “Only thing worse than getting old is not getting old."
Rumors surfaced earlier this week about Gotti having a stroke and using a cane to assist his mobility. Talent manager Wack 100, who made the claims Monday on his podcast, said that he had received images from a rehab employee of Gotti in recovery, alleging that Gotti was using a walker and "lost a lot of weight" during his health struggle, which he was allegedly keeping "under wraps."
Read more: Ashanti debunks Irv Gotti's 'relationship' claims: 'He never tells the full story'
Gotti shared some details about medical issues last year when he appeared on the popular "Drink Champs" podcast. Gotti — who also spoke during the episode about his upbringing in Queens, a hip-hop beef and the demise of his label after a federal investigation — said that his body was deteriorating from diabetes and that he had neither been consistently taking insulin nor changing his diet, as doctors suggested.
Last month, the executive was sued in Florida by a woman accusing him of sexual assault and rape. The woman claimed to be in a relationship with him between 2020 and 2022. Gotti has denied the allegations and his lawyer said he will probably fight the "baseless claim" with a countersuit.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
