Rapper Heavy D Passes Away

It was first reported by TMZ, that rapper Heavy D who dominated the music scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s with hits like Now That We Found Love, Somebody For Me, Who’s The Man as well as the theme song for cult favorite In Living Color, passed away suddenly Tuesday afternoon after being transported to a hospital in LA after he was found unconscious outside his home.

The rapper who was born Dwight Meyers in Jamaica, grew up in Mount Vernon, New York and it was there that he developed a love for rap music and ended up hustling around a demo he had recorded with the help of his crew that consisted of DJ Eddie F, Trouble T-Roy, and G-Wiz. They hit the big time when they caught the attention of Andre Harrell, from Def Jam who along with Russell Simmons helped make the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC and LL Cool J household names. He signed up the eager lads and their first album Living Large was released in 1987.

It took sometime for the group to hit its stride but by 1989, after the release of Big Tyme, they had successfully established their own special brand of groovy tunes. And by the early to mid-nineties, there was a steady string of hits and melodious tunes laced with catchy hooks to certify them as a formidable rap group.

Heavy D also waded in the acting pool, and he made his most recent and final appearance in Tower Heist starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller. He also returned to the stage to perform at the Michael Jackson tribute concert a few weeks ago. And his final gift to his fans was an upbeat collage of all his beloved hits at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

This is such a loss to the hip-hop community at large. Heavy D was only 44 years old.