The hip-hop lifestyle magazine Vibe has ceased publication, effective immediately, editor-in-chief Danyel Smith and former Vibe Media Group CEO Steve Aaron informed staff via internal memos Tuesday (6/30).

"It is with great sadness, and with heads held high, that we leave the building today," Smith wrote. "We were assigning and editing a Michael Jackson tribute issue when we got the news. It's a tragic week overall, but as the doors of the Vibe Media Group close, on the eve of the magazine's 16th anniversary, it's a sad day for music, for hip hop in particular, and for the millions of readers and users who have loved and continue to love the Vibe brand."

Legendary producer Quincy Jones [ tickets ] founded the magazine with Time Warner in 1992, and sold it to Wicks Group about three years ago. He recently told EbonyJet.com that he's attempting to buy back the brand in order to re-launch it as an online-only venture.