During Sunday night’s (November 27) airing of the 2011 Soul Train Awards, one segment of the show was a dedicated tribute to late rapper, Heavy D. The piece began with a clip from the 1991 Soul Train awards where Heavy D and the Boyz (with members G-Whiz and Eddie Ferrell) nabbed a trophy for their second album Big Tyme. After the brief trip down memory lane, Doug E. Fresh, Naughty by Nature, Goodie Mobb, Whodini, & Kurtis Blow and Big Daddy Kane all took the stage to perform some of Heav’s classic hits, including “Mr. Big Stuff.”
The Overweight Lover, as he was affectionately known, got his start as a member of the popular 90s group Heavy D and the Boyz before going on to pursue a successful solo career, in acting as well. He gave his final live performance at this year’s BET Hip-Hop Awards. Heavy D died suddenly on Monday afternoon (November 8), at the age of 44 after collapsing in his Beverly Hills home. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward, but the Los Angeles coroner's office has not yet announced an official cause of death.
