Rob (in Fab 5 T-shirt) during his Universal Records days, with Monte Lipman and other teammates

Rob Stone, co-founder of the Cornerstone Agency and The FADER, and a true mensch, died on 6/24 after a yearlong, private battle with cancer. He was just 55 years old.

Stone launched Cornerstone with fellow hip-hop expert Steve Rifkind in 1996, but a year later, Jon Cohen, Rob’s friend since the seventh grade, became his partner in the marketing agency. Their hip-hop-inspired approach to marketing led to the 1999 creation of The FADER. Originally intended to be a trade magazine for DJs, The FADER grew into an influential music magazine and website, eventually spawning the Fader Label, the Fader Fort showcase series and Fader Films.

Prior to becoming entrepreneurs, Stone and Cohen worked together at SBK Records, where Stone rose to VP of promotion before taking a similar post at Arista, where he was instrumental in the breakthrough of the Notorious B.I.G. (who called him “#1 cool white man”) and other hip-hop acts. He then did a stint at Monte Lipman’s Universal Records.

“I will love you forever, Rob Stone,” Cohen wrote on Instagram. “Our partnership was incredible. The things we accomplished together we could have never dreamed of doing when we were 15. Yes, we did want to kill each other at times, but the love and respect we had in building our company for 28 years was special. But way bigger than our success was our friendship. There is no one I loved having at my side more than you. We experienced so much together. I will tell your story and our stories together for the rest of my life. There are so many incredible ones. Thank you for all that you taught me. Thank you for always having my back and thank you for always making me laugh. I will think of you at every Knicks game, I will feel your presence every time I hear a Biggie song and laugh with you during every ridiculous NY Jets loss.”

In its remembrance, The FADER noted, “Rob was a relentless champion of new sounds and ideas, whether working closely with Biggie Smalls early in his career or pushing everyone at The FADER to take risks and follow their instincts until the end. His tireless energy will be greatly missed at the magazine he built with his friends."

“Music defines who we are," Rob wrote in the 100th issue of The FADER. “It brings out the best in us, comforts us and accompanies us on our life’s journey. Listening to a new amazing song is personal—it becomes critical to our lives. It gets in our DNA. We’ll always shine the light on artists that we believe will make a difference.’”

Rob is survived by his wife, Lauren, and their three children.