This Feb. 28, 2007 file photo shows hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty in his office in New York. Lightly died of an apparent gunshot wound on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 at his home in the Bronx borough of New York. He was 44. Lighty was the man behind rapís leading figures, helping them not only attain hit records, but lucrative careers outside of music. He had been a part of the rap scene for decades, working with pioneers like LL Cool J, KRS-One before starting his own management company, Violator. (AP Photo/Jim Cooper, file)
NEW YORK (AP) — LL Cool J, Russell Simmons, 50 Cent and Grandmaster Flash are among the mourners at the Manhattan funeral of hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty.
The 44-year-old manager of Mariah Carey, Sean “Diddy” Combs and 50 Cent was found dead in his Bronx apartment last week with a gunshot wound to the head. The New York City medical examiner’s office ruled it a suicide.
Speaking outside the chapel, Grandmaster Flash said he wished Lighty had reached out to him for help. He says Lighty must have been under “tremendous pressure,” adding, “it’s really sad.”
Before the service, mourners filed past his open casket. Lighty was laid out in a dark suit, surrounded by arrangements of white flowers. A slide show depicting his life appeared on a screen.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
