A hip-hop mogul who has been the longtime manager of 50 Cent, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey was found dead today in New York in an apparent suicide, TMZ.com reports. Chris Lighty died from what is being reported as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to authorities.

“According to law enforcement, 44-year-old Lighty’s body was found by police around 11:30 a.m. in the backyard of his Bronx apartment,” the story reports. “Lighty was pronounced dead on the scene, where a semi-automatic firearm was recovered.”

The story cites sources close to Lighty saying he had been arguing with his ex-wife shortly before shooting himself.

The report notes: “We’re told the couple got divorced last year and Lighty hadn’t been the same since.”

The case is under investigation as a possible suicide.

Lighty founded the record label and multimedia entertainment conglomerate Violator.

Chris Lighty