CHRIS LIGHTY, FORMER CEO OF WINKY PROMOTIONS, DEAD AT 44

According to New York's Daily News and multiple hip hop websites, Chris Lighty is dead, apparently by suicide. Lighty is best known for his involvement in Violator Entertainment, which worked with a who's who of hip hop stars, but he was part of the boxing world as the former CEO of Winky Wright's Winky Promotions. Wright retired in June, but had only two fights from 2007-2012. One of the stars Lighty worked with recently become a promoter in his own right: 50 Cent, thanks to a friendship with Floyd Mayweather.  But boxing was only a side endeavor for Lighty. Lighty also worked with Mariah Carey, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Busta Rhymes. The Daily News reports that Lighty owed $5 million in back taxes to the IRS and was found with a bullet in his head and a gun next to his body. No doubt some conspiracy theories will surface in the near future, but at this time, Boxingtalk extends its condolences to Lighty's friends and family. --Scott Shaffer