Heavy D

Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-American rapper, record producer, and actor. He was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group that included dancers/hype men G-Whiz (Glen Parrish) and "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), as well as DJ and producer Eddie F (Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizeable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released included production mainly by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, Myers's cousin Pete Rock, and "in-house" beatmaker Eddie F. Myers also released four solo albums and discovered Soul for Real and Monifah.

Early life

Dwight Arrington Myers was born on May 24, 1967, in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, the son of nurse Eulahlee Lee and machine technician Clifford Vincent Myers. In the early 1970s, his family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, where he was raised. In an interview, his mother stated that he spent most of his childhood hanging out with his brother, Floyd, and his friend, Mo.

Career Heavy D & the Boyz was the first group signed to Uptown Records, with Heavy D as the front man and only rapper. Eddie F was his business partner in the group, DJ, and one of the producers. The other two members, T-Roy and G-Wiz were the dancers. Their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success. Big Tyme was a breakthrough that included four hits. "Trouble T. Roy" died at age 22 in a fall on July 15, 1990, in Indianapolis. Dixon's death led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, Peaceful Journey. Pete Rock & CL Smooth created a tribute to Trouble T. Roy called "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" which is regarded as a hip hop classic. It was also the highest peaking song which he had performed on in the Billboard Hot 100. In 1992, he appeared on Michael Jackson's single "Jam", and also gained a higher profile by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also MADtv. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in various television shows before returning to the music charts with Nuttin' But Love. After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev. He later became senior vice president at Universal Music. As an actor, Heavy D is perhaps best known for his role in the 1999 drama film The Cider House Rules, where he plays a migrant worker. He fathered a daughter in 2000 with Antonia Lofaso, an American Celebrity Chef and restaurateur.

Death Heavy D's final live performance was with Eddie F at the BET Hip Hop Awards on October 11, 2011, their first live televised performance together in 15 years. Myers died less than a month later on November 8, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 44. He collapsed outside his home in Beverly Hills, California, and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. An autopsy report, released on December 27, 2011, stated that the cause of death was a pulmonary embolism (PE) caused by a blood clot in a leg; he had also suffered from heart disease. Craig Harvey, chief of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, said that the blood clot that resulted in the PE was "most likely formed during an extended airplane ride". Heavy D had recently returned from a trip to Cardiff, where he performed at a Michael Jackson tribute concert. His funeral was held at Grace Baptist Church in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York. He was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

Discography

With Heavy D and The Boyz Living Large (1987) Big Tyme (1989) Peaceful Journey (1991) Blue Funk (1992) Nuttin' but Love (1994)

Solo albums Waterbed Hev (1997) Heavy (1999) Vibes (2008) Love Opus (2011)

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes 1993 Who's the Man? Himself 1995 New Jersey Drive Bo-Kane 1997 B*A*P*S Himself The Deli Bo 1999 Life Jake The Cider House Rules Peaches 2000 Next Afternoon Short 2002 Big Trouble FBI Agent Pat Greer 2003 Black Listed Frankie Video Dallas 362 Bear 2004 Larceny Charles 2006 Step Up Omar 2011 Tower Heist Court House Guard 2012 H4 Archbishop Scroop Posthumous release

Television

Year Title Role Notes 1989 A Different World Himself Episode: "Delusions of Daddyhood" 1990 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Himself Episode: "Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect: Part 2" 1992 Booker Fatz Turner Episode: "Mobile Home" Tales from the Crypt Farouche Episode: "On a Deadman's Chest" 1993 Roc Calvin Hendricks Recurring cast: season 2–3 1994–96 Living Single Darryl Recurring cast: season 2, guest: season 4 1996 Waynehead Himself (voice) Episode: "Botswana Aki and the Hydrant of Doom" 1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Drexel (voice) Episode: "The Golden Goose" 1999 Martial Law Gordon Ganza Episode: "This Shogun for Hire" 2000 For Your Love Dexter Episode: "The Accidental Doctor" 2000–03 Boston Public Bob 'Big Boy' Lick Recurring cast: season 1–3 2003–04 The Tracy Morgan Show Bernard Main cast 2005 Yes, Dear Charlie Episode: "Barbecue" Bones Sid Shapiro Recurring cast: Season 1 2011 Are We There Yet? Craig Episode: "The Mr. Almost Episode" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Supreme Episode: "Personal Fouls" House of Payne P-Rock Episode: “Dream girls”

Sampling

"We Got Our Own Thang" – James Brown "Funky President", James Brown "My Thang", CJ & Co "We Got Our Own Thing" "You A'int Heard Nuttin' Yet" – James Brown "It's a Man's Man's World", Lyn Collins "Think", Grover Washington, Jr. "Mr. Magic" "More Bounce" – Parliament, "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (We Want the Funk)", Zapp "More Bounce to the Ounce" "Somebody for Me" – Big Daddy Kane, "Word to the Motherland" "Here We Go Again Y'all" – JB's, "Pass the Peas" "A Better Land" – Main Ingredient, "Everybody Plays the Fool"