Rap Pioneer Heavy D Dead

Rap music legend Heavy D has died. He was 44. The pioneer of the rap genre was rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles due to some medical emergency where he was responsive when emergency paramedics arrived at his home, but he apparently died in the emergency room from his urgent health crisis. Some reports say that this important figure in rap music died from respiratory issues shortly after he collapsed outside his home.

Born in the nation of Jamaica as Dwight Arrington-Myers, Heavy D became one of the most influential of the early rap artists. From 1986 until this year, he released nine studio albums, including five albums with his group Heavy D & The Boys. All nine of his albums were a top ten R&B chart success, and one of his solo albums, WATERBED HEV, was a #9 U.S. album chart success as well. He had 15 singles he released, with his duet with Janet Jackson, "Alright Remix", hitting #4 on the Hot 100 pop charts as his biggest crossover success from the R&B or rap charts.

The news has to be tragic to his millions of fans. He was a great and beloved artist who will be deeply missed. He was a decent man who recently attended a charity event only days before his death. Only Monday night he Tweeted about his sadness over the death of Joe Frazer. His final Tweet was an uplifting message, "Be Inspired". Even the Catholic news service, CATHOLIC ONLINE, carried the news of his death because Heavy D was viewed as such an important figure in modern music.

It was said that Heavy D was "the only rapper that everyone always loved".