On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the rapper, producer and actor affectionately known as Heavy D collapsed in his Beverly Hills home in the morning and died a short time later at a Los Angeles hospital, according to police and the coroner. He was 44.
Heavy D, whose real name is Dwight Arrington Myers, was found conscious with difficulty breathing at his home after police were called there at 11:25 a.m., he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s operations chief Craig Harvey. The cause of death has not been determined, Harvey said.
His hip-hop recording career began in 1987 with his group Heavy D & the Boyz and on his first album he released the hit single “The Overweight Lover’s in the House.” Another one of his breakthrough hits came in 1991 with a remake of the O’Jays’ “Now That We Found Love.”
Born on May 24, 1967, in Mandeville, Jamaica, he grew up largely in Mount Vernon, N.Y. His mother worked as a nurse and his father as a movie equipment repairman. In the mid-1990s he became the president of Uptown Records, and in several other ways his influence extended beyond his albums. He recorded the theme song to the popular comedy variety show “In Living Color”; recorded hit songs with both Michael Jackson (“Jam” in 1991) and Janet Jackson (“Alright” in 1990). He performed at last month’s Michael Jackson tribute show in Cardiff, Wales.
He also composed and performed the theme songs several television shows, including “In Living Color,” “MADtv” and “The Tracy Morgan Show.” His last CD, “Love Opus,” was released this year.
Heavy D also pursued an acting career, which included mostly roles on TV shows and movies.
He played a courthouse guard in the Eddie Murphy film “Tower Heist,” released last weekend.
He used his Twitter account Monday night to express sadness about the death of boxer Joe Frazier:
“SMOKIN JOE FRAZIER.. RIP.. truly one of the best heavyweight champs that ever lived.. GODS SPEED, MR FRAZIER!”
Heavy D’s last Twitter message, posted late Monday, was: “BE INSPIRED!”
Funeral arrangements were still pendin. He is survived by a daughter, Xea.
