Friends, family and industry executives attended a public memorial service for influential music executive Shakir Stewart in Atlanta this weekend. Filled with personal memories of the former Def Jam executive and Morehouse College graduate, the public memorial service included a performance of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday” by singer/songwriter Ne-Yo at Morehouse College’s King’s Chapel. Several artists including Def Jam star’s LL Cool J and Chrisette Michele attended the service in addition to Atlanta City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell, and fellow executives Steve Bartels and Karen Kwak. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, industry tastemakers Fonzworth Bentley, Kenny Burns, DJ Toomp, DJ Don Cannon, and Isaac Hayes III laughed along with Christopher Hicks as he imitated his friend “Shake’s” signature cool whisper from the podium. âRemember Shakir for what you know him to be,â Hicks said. âAnd Shake would have wanted us to know this: That weâve got to have some balance.â A private funeral service and burial were held Thursday. Stewart was found dead at his Marietta, GA home last Saturday of an apparent suicide, he was 34 years old.
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