Andre Harrell, the music executive who founded the influential label Uptown Records and helped make Diddy a star, has died. His ex-wife Wendy Credle tells The New York Times that he had had heart problems for a while and the cause of death was heart failure. The news was first announced by DJ D-Nice during his popular Club Quarantine series and later confirmed by Revolt, where Harrell served as vice chairman. He was 59.

Born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Harrell first entered the music industry as a performer. He formed the rap duo Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde in high school with his friend Alonzo Brown; they released several successful singles, including the “Genius Of Love”-sampling “Genius Rap.” In 1983, while working for a local radio station, Harrell met Def Jam founder Russell Simmons and joined his Rush Management company, eventually becoming vice president and general manager.

Harrell started his own label, Uptown Records, in 1986. There, he discovered and signed numerous hip-hop and R&B acts including Teddy Riley’s new jack swing trio Guy, Al. B. Sure!, and Heavy D & The Boyz. In the early ’90s, he hired an intern named Sean Combs, who quickly became an indispensable A&R man for the label, developing Mary J. Blige and Jodeci and signing the Notorious B.I.G.

In 1993, Harrell fired Sean Combs from the company. Combs, who would later become known as Puff Daddy and Diddy, founded his own Bad Boy Records and took Biggie along with him. Meanwhile, Harrell had signed a $50 million multimedia deal with MCA to form a new company, Uptown Entertainment, branching into film and television production for projects like Strictly Business and New York Undercover.

In the mid-’90s, Harrell briefly became CEO of the legendary Motown Records. And despite their split, he remained close with Diddy, working at Bad Boy and later Diddy’s Revolt TV. Before his passing, he had been working with BET as a producer on a miniseries based on the rise of Uptown Records and its most iconic artists. He is survived by one son, Gianni Credle-Harrell, as well as his brother Greg and his father.

Why Andre 😢😢😢 My heart is breaking and I can't stop crying. He was an amazing friend and I will miss him forever. 😢

— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) May 9, 2020

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Another sad day😔🙏🏽 We've lost one of the greatest mentors in my life. I'm so happy I got to tell you 1 hour before the versus Battle, how much I respect and love you, as my big brother and mentor! The pep talk that you've giving me right before, felt like the same pep talks that you've given me the beginning of Uptown records, sleeping on the couch at your office (Brownstone) in BK. You chose me out of all the kids that you could have picked to work with you. I can replay IT in my head, all of the moments that I've taken the train and when I got my first car driving to Brooklyn, skipping school, and becoming that sponge just to learn and get my hands on that mixing board at Chung King Studios. I will never forget, all of these cherished moments and I will never forget you!!! 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 I salute you…King of New Jack Swing👑👑👑 My condolences to the Harrell family & to my Uptown family 4life!!! #rip #greatest #legend #legacy #newjackswing #king

A post shared by Teddy Riley (@teddyriley1) on May 8, 2020 at 11:58pm PDT

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Dude. #AndreHarrell man. He gave you the best soundtracks of your life man and you didn’t even know it. We never gave him his flowers. He redefined the party! Def Jam was the artform. Bad Boy was the attitude Death Row was the muscle But without even knowing it? Uptown was ALWAYS the party. I’m sitting here going through my crates STUNNED at the amount of six degree to Andre records I’ve spun weekly on a regular basis for the last 35 years yo. The is a staggering loss. We never gave Andre Harrell his flowers. Name em: Al B Sure/Heavy D & The Boyz/Guy/. I mean mentoring Diddy alone brings in Jodeci/BIG/Mary J/Father MC/Christopher Williams—-and even in those names the success with THOSE artists come Missy/Timb/Neptune’s But let’s not stop there: first time we really paid attention to Halle Berry was in a Harrell film called Strictly Business Let’s throw “Candy Rain” in there or Lil Shawn’s “I Made Love”—-I may be dating myself but man Mgruff’s “Before We Start” got MUCH play round my way. Jeff Redd (who brought Blidge to the label) had a banger with “You Called And Told Me”—-“Touch It” from Monifah STILL bangs to this day. & back to Diddy, I’m absolutely w/o a doubt certain that he feels his success is also Harrell’s success so in a round about way there is no Bad Boy w/o Harrell. (Lemme also remember Daryl Chill Mitchell’s “Hip Hop’s Here To Stay” another classic uptown jawn. Horace Brown too….. Too Many Classics Let’s not forget NY Undercover & all the clever music moments in each ep. We never gave him his flowers. This isn’t even half of his achievements nor does this even bring to light the people’s lives he changed or his loved ones left behind. He literally introduced a new sound to the world (the first new jack swing projects were on Uptown)—-wait hold that——his label changed music TWICE because hip hop soul’s music picked up where New Jack left off and on the same label. Such a short time to paradigm shift music TWICE!!!!!!!! Damn man. We never gave him his flowers man. 😣

A post shared by Questlove Froman, (@questlove) on May 8, 2020 at 11:38pm PDT

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I am deeply saddend by the loss of my good friend @andreharrell – Andre has been a blessing to so many, including myself. It is with a heavy heart that I post this photo of us a few years ago. A truly gifted and brilliant impressario of the highest calibre. Andre, you will be missed. Love and blessings to Gianni and your family.

A post shared by LA REID (@la_reid) on May 8, 2020 at 11:42pm PDT