Peter Dougherty, a behind-the-scenes downtown fixture of the 1970s and ’80s who went on to help shape MTV’s early identity, most notably as a creator of the influential show “Yo! MTV Raps,” died on Oct. 12 at his home in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was 59.

The cause was a heart attack, said his brother, Paul.

In the mid-1980s, Mr. Dougherty was working in the on-air promotions department of MTV when he began advocating for a show focused on rap music. He was a friend of the Beastie Boys, the producer Rick Rubin, the artist and bon vivant Fab 5 Freddy and the artists who congregated around the Fun Gallery in the East Village, and he “was always the guy who took you to the newest, coolest club, the most underground place,” said Doug Herzog, an early MTV programming executive and now the president of the music and entertainment group of Viacom, MTV’s parent company.

“He knew everybody, everybody knew him,” Mr. Herzog added. “People like Peter were always pushing: ‘Let’s be hipper, more cutting edge. What’s the new thing?’ ”