Chris Lighty Death Ruled A Suicide by Medical Examiner

The New York City medical examiner's office has ruled the death of hip-hop manager Chris Lighty a suicide.

According to the examiner's office, Lighty died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A 9-mm handgun was also found with his body at his Bronx apartment.

Motives behind the suicide range from financial issues to Lighty's recent bitter divorce from his wife Veronica. It was believed that the couple had been fighting before Lighty shot himself. The 44-year-old was in the process of moving out of the couple's Bronx apartment. Sources told the NY Daily News that Lighty walked out into the backyard on Thursday, saying, “I’m tired of this,” and shot himself in the head with the 9-mm handgun.

“He was in a lot of pain and he possibly had some financial difficulties, but they didn’t get into a fight that day,” assured a spokesperson for Veronica Lighty, who was too emotional on Friday to speak with media.

Lighty's business partner Michael "Blue" Williams denied that his finances were the main culprit. "Chris' debt is probably less important than the pressure that he was under," Williams told MTV News. "What people are missing and what people don't see and what Chris is an example of is how much, as black men, we carry around and don't always communicate."

Lighty, 44, founded Violator Management and had worked with musicians like Mariah Carey, Diddy, 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes and many more. 50 Cent released a statement saying he "was deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend and business partner." Lighty, considered a hip-hop mogul, helped the "In Da Club" rapper facilitate a mega-million dollar deal with VitaminWater. It was believed that through his finances Lighty had acquired a sizable tax debt. His wife told police he had owed the IRS $5 million, however the Associated Press dug around and discovered it had been mostly paid off with Lighty owing only $330,000.

The true reason why Lighty took his own life may perhaps never be uncovered. RIP.