Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), better known as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American actor, rapper, record producer, singer and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a hip hop group which included G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and Eddie F (born Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released were produced by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, his cousin Pete Rock and Eddie F.
LOS ANGELES – Trailblazing rapper Heavy D was a devoted dad with “a heart of gold” who dispensed bear hugs as easily as infectious rhymes, his grieving relatives said in their first statement Monday.
“Hev had great love for his family and friend. He was a kind and giving spirit who extended and shared himself with everyone who crossed his path,” the family members said one week after the musician’s sudden death last Tuesday.
They said his “most important triumph” was becoming a father, and that he often said he couldn’t bear the thought of life without his 13-year-old daughter Xea.
“Hev's love for his daughter Xea was profound – she was the center of his life, his heart, his soul,” they said. “She embodied every phenomenal attribute that he brought to this world.”
Heavy D, whose real name was Dwight Arrington Myers, will be laid to rest later this week after a public viewing of his body at the Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon Thursday. The viewing will start at noon and end at 6 p.m.
Rap mogul Sean (P. Diddy) Combs and the Rev. Al Sharpton will later speak at a private, invitation-only memorial service at the historic church on Friday.
“He was a wonderful human being, who inspired and paved the way for a Hip Hop generation,” Combs said in a statement.
Heavy D is survived by his parents, a brother, a sister and his daughter.
“He never compromised his values and artistry, and encouraged his peers to do the same,” his family members said in their statement. “To us, Hev was the one who made us laugh, cry, sing, dance and turn a frown upside down. As a family, we are devastated by Hev's passing, but through our faith in God and support from family, friends and fans – we are comforted, blessed and will remain strong.”
Heavy D was returning from a shopping trip last Tuesday morning when he experienced difficulty breathing and collapsed in an exterior hallway of his condo building, police said.
He was conscious and talking when first responders arrived but died about 90 minutes later at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, police said.
A spokesman for the county coroner later revealed Heavy D sought medical attention shortly before his sudden death.
“He had gone to the doctor the day before not feeling good. He had what appeared to be like flu-like symptoms,” Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner told the Daily News.
Investigators completed an autopsy Wednesday morning but declined to give a preliminary cause of death pending toxicology tests that could take six weeks.
“He was taking medication, so we want to see what the levels were,” Winter said.
The Westchester County-bred musician turned actor weighed 344 pounds at the time of his death at age 44, Winter said.
Raised in Mount Vernon, Heavy D rose to stardom in the 1990s as the frontman for Heavy D & the Boys – the group behind hit songs including "Now That We Found Love" and "Nuttin But Love."
He also performed the theme song for the 1990s comedy TV series "In Living Color,” and took the stage most recently at the BET Awards last month.
He eventually segued into acting, scoring small movie roles, including a cameo role as a security guard in the just-released film "Tower Heist," starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller.
LOS ANGELES – Trailblazing rapper Heavy D was a devoted dad with “a heart of gold” who dispensed bear hugs as easily as infectious rhymes, his grieving relatives said in their first statement Monday.
“Hev had great love for his family and friend. He was a kind and giving spirit who extended and shared himself with everyone who crossed his path,” the family members said one week after the musician’s sudden death last Tuesday.
They said his “most important triumph” was becoming a father, and that he often said he couldn’t bear the thought of life without his 13-year-old daughter Xea.
“Hev's love for his daughter Xea was profound – she was the center of his life, his heart, his soul,” they said. “She embodied every phenomenal attribute that he brought to this world.”
Heavy D, whose real name was Dwight Arrington Myers, will be laid to rest later this week after a public viewing of his body at the Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon Thursday. The viewing will start at noon and end at 6 p.m.
Rap mogul Sean (P. Diddy) Combs and the Rev. Al Sharpton will later speak at a private, invitation-only memorial service at the historic church on Friday.
“He was a wonderful human being, who inspired and paved the way for a Hip Hop generation,” Combs said in a statement.
Heavy D is survived by his parents, a brother, a sister and his daughter.
“He never compromised his values and artistry, and encouraged his peers to do the same,” his family members said in their statement. “To us, Hev was the one who made us laugh, cry, sing, dance and turn a frown upside down. As a family, we are devastated by Hev's passing, but through our faith in God and support from family, friends and fans – we are comforted, blessed and will remain strong.”
Heavy D was returning from a shopping trip last Tuesday morning when he experienced difficulty breathing and collapsed in an exterior hallway of his condo building, police said.
He was conscious and talking when first responders arrived but died about 90 minutes later at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, police said.
A spokesman for the county coroner later revealed Heavy D sought medical attention shortly before his sudden death.
“He had gone to the doctor the day before not feeling good. He had what appeared to be like flu-like symptoms,” Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner told the Daily News.
Investigators completed an autopsy Wednesday morning but declined to give a preliminary cause of death pending toxicology tests that could take six weeks.
“He was taking medication, so we want to see what the levels were,” Winter said.
The Westchester County-bred musician turned actor weighed 344 pounds at the time of his death at age 44, Winter said.
Raised in Mount Vernon, Heavy D rose to stardom in the 1990s as the frontman for Heavy D & the Boys – the group behind hit songs including "Now That We Found Love" and "Nuttin But Love."
He also performed the theme song for the 1990s comedy TV series "In Living Color,” and took the stage most recently at the BET Awards last month.
He eventually segued into acting, scoring small movie roles, including a cameo role as a security guard in the just-released film "Tower Heist," starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller.
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