Family & Friends come to Mourn Heavy D at Memorial Service

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Dwight 'Heavy 'D' Myers (5/24/1967- 11/08/2011)

Thousands grieve for rapper Heavy D in Mount Vernon

Thousands of fans bid a teary farewell to Heavy D, the charismatic, self-proclaimed "Overweight Lover" of hip-hop, during open calling hours Thursday at a historic church in his hometown.
People assembled in lines that at times snaked around the corner outside Grace Baptist Church, where the body of the late entertainer, born Dwight Errington Myers, lay in a gray suit in a dark wood casket, surrounded by flowers and poster-sized photos of him flashing his signature smile.

"(He) brought people happiness with his music," said Lawrence Burgess, 45, of the Bronx, who displayed a photo on his cellphone of him shaking hands with Heavy D during a chance encounter at a movie theater in 1993. "And he put Mount Vernon on the map."
Another mourner, Diedra Johnson, 26, also of the Bronx, said Heavy D had a big influence on the current generation of artists.

"He's one of the godfathers of hip-hop," she said.
The Jamaican-born entertainer died at a Los Angeles hospital Nov. 8 after collapsing outside his home at age 44. The cause was complications from pneumonia, his brother, Floyd Myers, said in a statement.

Here Floyd Speak on video about his brother!

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A private wake was to be held Thursday evening, and a private funeral service is scheduled for 11 this morning at Grace Baptist Church with a guest list that includes rap mogul Diddy, the Rev. Al Sharpton and gospel star Yolanda Adams.

On Thursday, the church was quiet and the mood somber, as mourners filed past Heavy D's open casket, pausing to genuflect or dab at their eyes with tissues being handed out. A guestbook was initially provided but filled up quickly.
Lifelong Mount Vernon resident Balford Lewis, 48, who was also paying tribute Thursday, said he used to hang out with Heavy D's older brothers when they were students.

He said that when locals saw the young "Hev" try to rhyme at house parties, his older peers were skeptical of his talent. But when the rapper's first album came out, "We were like. 'Wow! That's Mount Vernon pride,' " Lewis recalled. "That's my little brother. My boy."

The rapper was the titular member of Heavy D and the Boyz, which had hits with "Now That We Found Love," "Nuttin But Love" and "Somebody for Me." As one of the genre's top stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he collaborated with Michael Jackson on the King of Pop's 1991 hit "Jam."
He was born May 24, 1967, one of six children of Clifford and Eulahlee Myers of Mandeville, Jamaica. His family moved to Mount Vernon in the early 1970s.

Heavy D's family said in a statement this week that it was devastated by the loss of a loved one with a "heart of gold."
"Hev had great love for his family and friends. He was a kind and giving spirit who extended and shared himself with everyone who crossed his path," the family said. "His 'bear hugs' are going to be deeply missed."

Celebs arriving to the service!

The family has launched the Heavy D and Xea Myers Fund, named in honor of the rapper and his 11-year-old daughter. The family is requesting that memorial donations be made to the fund, in care of JP Morgan Chase, 726 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10085. Checks should be payable to the Heavy D and Xea Myers Fund.
BET announced this week that the Soul Train Awards in Atlanta, airing at 9 p.m. Nov. 27, will pay tribute to Heavy D, with Curtis Blow, Naughty by Nature, Big Daddy Kane and Doug E. Fresh, among others.

R.I.P Soldier!!

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HEAVY D’ Honored by his Family & Autopsy results are INCONCLUSIVE!

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HEAVY D’ Honored by his Family & Autopsy results are INCONCLUSIVE!

The family of Heavy D has released a heartfelt statement that offers a look into the rapper’s life as a family man, friend and artist. 

“Hev had great love for his family and friends; he was a kind and giving spirit who extended and shared himself with everyone who crossed his path. He had a heart of gold, was approachable, very personable and gave of himself willingly and unconditionally. Though Hev will most notably be remembered for his work both behind-the-scenes and in the forefront, he will always be remembered by us as a generous soul who remained humble and unselfish till his final days.

Out of all Hev’s successes and accomplishments, in his eyes, his most important triumph was that of becoming a father. Hev’s love for his daughter Xea was profound–she was the center of his life, his heart, his soul. He often said “I cannot live without her and that she embodied every phenomenal attribute that he brought to this world.” The name and the success of Heavy D will always be synonymous with music forever. He never compromised his values and artistry, and encouraged his peers to do the same. 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. His “bear hugs” are going to be deeply missed.” 

A new memorial website has been set up, RememberHeavyD.com gives details of the public memorial to be held Thursday from noon until 6 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, New York. It also includes information on how to donate to the Heavy D and Xea Myers Fund, which has been established in support of Heavy D’s daughter. Meanwhile Authorities say they still don’t know what caused the unexpected death of rapper Heavy D last week. 

According to the “Los Angeles Times,” the L.A. County coroner’s office announced on Monday that the results of an autopsy were inconclusive. Toxicology tests are now slated to take place, but officials say it could take several weeks to determine how the rap star died. Last week, a coroner’s spokesman said no illegal drugs were found at Heavy D’s home, although he had been prescribed a drug to deal with a cough

Such a tragedy!

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Details on Heavy D's Funeral Services! +Photos from his final Recording Session.

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FUNERAL SERVICES HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR DWIGHT MYERS aka HEAVY 'D'

Rap legend Heavy D will be laid to rest in New York next Friday following a public viewing and wake at a Mount Vernon church the day before, a church official said.

The viewing on Nov. 17 will be held at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon from noon to 7 p.m. A wake will immediately follow, ending at 8 p.m., the church official told the Daily News.

The next day, family and friends will gather at an invitation-only funeral service at the century-old church.

Sean (Diddy) Combs, Mary J. Blige and the Wayans brothers are among the celebrities invited to attend the private service Friday, TMZ.com reported. Heavy D’s grieving relatives met early Friday with their longtime minister, W. Franklyn Richardson, and were scheduled to visit the Yannantuono Funeral Home in Mount Vernon this afternoon, sources said.

“They’re all devastated. His sister is having a hard time. She says it’s not true, that it didn’t happen,” said a close family friend, Eda Phillips, 79, who is the mother of rapper Pete Rock.

“It’s just terrible. I’m going up to see his mother now. This is the third son she has lost.”

Heavy D, whose real name was Dwight Arrington Myers, was returning from a shopping trip Tuesday morning when he experienced difficulty breathing and collapsed in an exterior hallway of his Beverly Hills 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.

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,” Ed Winter, assistant chief of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office, told The News. “He had what appeared to be flu-like symptoms.”

Investigators completed an autopsy Wednesday morning, but declined to give a preliminary cause of death until toxicology tests have been completed; the tests could take six weeks.“He was taking medication, so we want to see what the levels were,” Winter said.The Westchester County-bred musician weighed 344 pounds at the time of his death at age 44, Winter said.“He had a touch of pneumonia, maybe from traveling. He just got back from England,” cousin Ruddy Phillips, 50, told The News after speaking with the entertainer's dad.

Born in Jamaica and raised in Mount Vernon, Heavy D rose to stardom in the 1990s as the frontman for Heavy D & the Boyz, a group that recorded such early hip-hop hits as “Now That We Found Love” and “Nuttin But Love.” Also Just months before Heavy D died, the rap legend stepped into a recording studio for the last time ... to lay tracks for his new album -- and the folks over at TMZ has obtained pics of the historic moment

The photos were snapped in late July at Daddy's House Recording Studio in NYC -- showing D and his producers from CertiFYD Production Group finalizing songs for "Love Opus," which he released in September.

WOW!…R.I.P Soldier!!!

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