Bodog Beat

Shakir Stewart, the record exec responsible for signing Beyonce Knowles to Hitco, has died. (AP Images)

Executive vice president Shakir Stewart, 34, the hip-hop music executive who replaced Jay-Z as the head of Def Jam Recordings back in June, was found dead Saturday afternoon at his Atlanta area home. The man who helped make Atlanta the "Motown of the South," shot himself with a handgun but it is not known who found the body.

According to the police report, Stewart was found in the bathroom of his home and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Before joining Def Jam Recordings, Stewart previously worked with the Hitco publishing company, where he signed R&B star Beyonce, and Arista Records, where he signed R&B star Ciara.