Dame Dash has opened up about a text exchange he had with Irv Gotti regarding his concern for the late Murder Inc. music mogul’s health and Diabetes diagnosis.
On Friday (February 7), Dame Dash appeared in a vulnerable interview on his America Nu network, where he opened up about grappling with the loss of his longtime music industry peer Irv Gotti. Dash admitted that Gotti’s death has blindsided him considering he’s still struggling to process DJ Clark Kent’s death.
“I’m still not over the shock,” Dash admitted. “A lot of times I wake up and I’m like, I can’t believe Clark [DJ Clark Kent] is dead. It’s crazy to me. And then now with Irv [Irv Gotti], it’s like, It takes me a while to really process it,” Dash said.
“I don’t wanna see you die.”
Dame Dash reacts to the passing of Irv Gotti and reveals he reached out to Irv Gotti after discovering his struggles with diabetes despite them not seeing eye to eye in the last couple of years of Irv Gotti’s life.
(🎥America Nu Network/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/n3yXI1s9Xa
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) February 7, 2025
Turning his attention to Gotti’s passing, Dash shared that it was both a shock and something he had somewhat braced himself for due to Gotti’s health struggles.
“I’m not surprised based on what I knew was going on with his health and the way he was approaching it, but it’s still shocking,” he said.
As Dash continued he spoke fondly of their decades-long relationship, emphasizing the brotherly bond they shared despite disagreements. “Regardless of what our relationship was in that very moment, you know, we were brothers,” he said. “We’ve known each other almost 30 years. Irv was one of the people I enjoyed talking to because his perspective was very animated. He was always fun to talk to.”
Like Russell Simmons, Dash also claimed he tried to discuss health management with Gotti, despite the fact that their relationship had been strained in recent years.
“When I found out the struggles, I texted him and said, ‘Irv, regardless of what, we’re brothers, and I don’t want to see you die,” he said of their conversation. “Let me know how I can help you,’ He sent back, ‘Yo, I’m getting better, Dame.’”
Dash revealed that he wished he had been more present in Gotti’s life to provide the kind of tough love he believed could have made a difference.
“I would have made it a lifestyle for him,” he said. “I would have made it uncool to neglect your health.”
Dash added a powerful statement about health and mortality, saying “Food is not that good to where you should lose your life over it. No plate is that good that you should have to die over it just to eat it again. Nobody’s life is that bad that a cheeseburger is your escape.”
Days after he suffered another stroke, Gotti was “declared dead” on the morning of February 5 at the age of 54. Gotti’s children has since released a statement in remembrance of their “beloved” father on Instagram.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Irving ‘Irv Gotti’ Lorenzo, on February 5, 2025. Surrounded by family and friends, he departed this world, leaving behind a legacy that will forever resonate in the hearts of those who knew him and the countless lives he touched,” the statement read.
