MUSIC ARCHIVES Hip-Hop Mogul Chris Lighty’s Death Deemed a Suicide
by John Surico
Before he was found in his Bronx apartment last Thursday dead with a head gun wound, Chris Lighty was the force behind some of hip-hop’s greatest acts in the past twenty years. From Diddy to 50 Cent, Lighty helped manage the no-names that became icons, pushing hip-hop into its permanent spot in the mainstream.
So, when the music industry received news of his death this past week, mourning extended across genres.
However, behind the fame and fortune, the owner of Violator Record’s life ran a darker path; with a divorce in process and accumulated financial problems (some $300,000 owed to the IRS, according to the Daily News), medical officials believe that the hip-hop mogul was severely depressed, thus leading them to believe that his gun wound was self-inflicted.
When the story hit the press on Thursday, many believed that the death came after a fight between Chris and his wife, Veronica, who was about to move out of his house in South Riverdale. But details of whether or not they were fighting that day are vague; now, with these financial facts in mind, the events on that fateful day in Lighty’s life might have been spawned from a different motive.
At the scene, cops found a black handgun near his body, presumably belonging to Lighty, but no note was found. But, now, it may be impossible to find out what caused the man’s death for sure.
Norman Downes, a friend of the family who spoke on behalf of Veronica, told reporters that “the only person who really knows [what happened] was Christ and he ain’t here.”
Lighty was 44.