Ashanti Mourns Irv Gotti & Details Trying to Repair Their Relationship Before His Death: “I’m Still Sad It Ended Like This”

Ashanti may have already made headlines for taking to social media to address the untimely death of her former label head Irv Gotti, but this week saw the R&B diva detailing those feelings over a series of interviews.

Tackling the sensitive topic for the first time on visual media, the 44-year-old hitmaker – despite her complicated relationship with the music executive at the time of his passing – opened up about her tribute post, attempts at repairing their friendship, attending his funeral, and so much more.

Look inside to see what she said.

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Though hot on the promo trail in support of the February 28 release of her latest movie ‘No Address,’ the GRAMMY winner (born Ashanti Douglas) was quizzed on how she’s been processing Gotti’s death when she dropped by ‘TODAY with Jenna & Friends.’

“It’s really hard. I was very sad – I’m still sad – that things ended the way they did (which is what I said on social media),” she said to host Jenna Bush. “Just seeing clips and thinking about the old times and the music that we’ve made. It’s just…I really wish things would’ve been different. But, I always wanted peace in my heart and in my heart I pray that he is at peace – even now.”

The statement came not too long after Ashanti’s visit to Angie Martinez‘s ‘IRL‘ podcast episode hit the Web in which she relayed a similar message.

“It was a lot to process,” said the songstress shared about Gotti’s passing. “I was really sad and I’m still sad that it ended like this. There was a time where things were just amazing and I know that I always wanted peace for both of us and to be cordial. I wished peace for him and I prayed for him to be at peace. You don’t really see this coming. It came out of nowhere.”

Elsewhere in the lengthy chat with Martinez, Douglas detailed her unsuccessful endeavor to repair their professional relationship before Irv died.

“I’m sad that the last few years we weren’t seeing eye to eye,” she said. “What I do know is that I tried. I do know that I extended the olive branch and again, I just wanted things to be cool. I didn’t want no smoke.”

See the full ‘IRL’ interview here.

[photo source: Getty Images]