After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in the television shows Roc and Living Single before returning the music charts with Nuttin' But Love (1994, 1994 in music). Heavy D & the Boyz gained even more fame by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also MADtv, and Heavy D performed the rap on Michael Jackson's hit single 'Jam.' However, the group's next album, Blue Funk, was a critical and commercial failure compared to their previous success. Roy called 'They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)' which is regarded as a hip-hop classic. Pete Rock & CL Smooth created a tribute to Trouble T. Dixon's passing led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, Peaceful Journey (1991, 1991 in music). Police said Dixon jumped onto a retaining wall to avoid a barrel rolling toward him and lost his balance. Dixon fell 30 feet from a third-level ramp at Market Square Arena while roughhousing with another member of the group. Roy died at age 22 in a fall on 15 July 1990 in Indianapolis (see 1990 in music). The album was a commercial success, though Big Tyme (1989, 1989 in music) was a breakthrough that included four hits. Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987 (see 1987 in music). His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York when he was a young child. His sudden death prompted 'Law & Order' actor and rapper Ice T to remind everyone to 'stop for a second, take a breath and realize how lucky you are to be alive,' while reminding MC Hammer that Heavy D was always 'part of what's good about the world.Heavy D (Birthed May 24th 1967 - Deceased November 8th 2011) was born Dwight Errington Myers in Jamaica. The impact of Heavy D's inspiration was omnipresent Tuesday among the hip-hop community on Twitter. He delivered a medley of past hits at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, and joined La Toya Jackson on stage for a rendition of 'Jam' at the tribute concert for Michael Jackson in Cardiff, Wales. He attempted a reggae-fueled comeback in 2008 with the album 'Vibes,' which didn't contain any rapping, before he returned to his lyrical roots on his most recent effort, 'Love Opus,' which was released in September.Ī lighter Heavy D - coming in at apparently 135 pounds less than his former weight - returned to the stage for a pair of energetic performances last month. While switching between acting and performing in the late 1990s, Heavy D wasn't as musically successful with his later Boyz-free albums. He created the theme songs for the sketch comedy shows 'In Living Color' and 'MADtv' and acted on such TV shows as 'Boston Public,' 'The Tracy Morgan Show' and 'Law & Order: SVU,' as well as in the films 'Life,' 'Step Up' and most recently 'Tower Heist.' Heavy D, who was never afraid to bust a move or perform as a character, also found success on the screen. in 1993 on 'A Buncha N-' and dueted with B.B. He collaborated with Michael Jackson on the 1991 single 'Jam,' rapped with a young Notorious B.I.G. What drew people to his music was his singular style celebrating an easygoing, party vibe - sometimes humorous, sometimes inspiring and usually positive.Ĭombined with the fusion of the 'New Jack Swing' musical style, Heavy D was a constant presence on the charts, and a go-to figure for several performers.

But while that nickname would stick, his weight did not become his shtick like the Fat Boys. The deep-voiced rapper's earliest hit, 'The Overweight Lover's in the House,' played up his hefty frame. Heavy D and his crew - Heavy D and the Boyz - unabashedly burst onto the rap scene in 1987 with their debut album 'Living Large.' The Jamaica-born rapper, who grew up in New York, became one of the genre's most integral stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as it relied on new voices and star power to fuel its phenomenal growth in the mainstream. If true, Heavy D would of course not have known that 'BE INSPIRED!' would be his last tweet but that it was is fitting for the life that Heavy D lived. Rosen said detectives found no signs of foul play and believe his death was medically related.

Heavy D died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to Lt. The self-proclaimed 'overweight lover' of hip hop, who became one of rap's top hitmakers with his charming combination of humour and positivity, enthusiastically told his Twitter followers Tuesday morning to 'BE INSPIRED!' He later collapsed outside his home following a shopping trip, unable to breathe, before he was transported to a nearby hospital.

LOS ANGELES - It was as if Heavy D knew that it would be his last tweet.

Heavy d keep it coming