Word just came from TMZ on Twitter - yeah, yeah - that hip-hopper Heavy D has passed away at the age of 44. The artist, born Dwight Arrington Myers, was the leader of Heavy D & The Boyz, best known for cuts like "Chunky But Funky" and "Now That We Found Love".
So far details have Myers collapsing at his home today around noon, still communicating emergency personnel as he was transported to a Los Angeles hospital, and later expiring while being treated.
Heavy D was also a busy actor, recently appearing in the film Tower Heist with Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller. He was seen on TV's Boston Public, The Tracy Morgan Show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the small-screen version of Are We There Yet? as well.
This story is still developing, and right now a cause of death is not known. We will update this blog as the facts become available. Twitter is already mourning with Questlove and Grandmaster Flash tweeting messages.
This came from music writer Christopher R. Weingarten on his Twitter account, and it's pretty poignant: "Heavy D showed that big guys could dance and rap and get ladies. You have no idea how important that was for a fat 10-year-old. As someone who was a rap fan and overweight in the late '80s, Heavy D was a light at the end of a dark tunnel. I'll miss you, man."
Adding even more bittersweetness to his untimely death, this was Heavy D's last tweet earlier today, relating to the death of boxer Joe Frazier.
Rest in peace, Mr. D. This was also his creation too, the theme song to In Living Color....