Heavy D, 44, rap's 'overweight lover'

LOS ANGELES - Heavy D, 44, the self-proclaimed "overweight lover" of hip-hop who became one of rap's top hit-makers with wit, humor, and a positive vibe, died Tuesday.

Lt. Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills police said that officers were dispatched to Heavy D's condominium building after receiving a report of an unconscious person. He was transported to Cedars Sinai Medical Center, where he died.

Rosen said Heavy D "was returning home from shopping. He experienced difficulty breathing while walking into his condominium building. He was being assisted up to his apartment by building personnel when he collapsed in an exterior hallway."

The last tweet from Heavy D posted Tuesday morning read, "BE INSPIRED!"

Dwight Arrington Myers, the rapper known as Heavy D of Heavy D and the Boyz, and his crew released their debut album, Living Large, in 1987. Their hits included "Now That We Found Love," "Who's the Man," and "Somebody for Me."

The New York-born rapper was one of the genre's integral stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as it relied on new voices and star power to fuel its phenomenal growth in the mainstream.

The deep-voiced rapper's earliest hit, "The Overweight Lover's in the House," played up his hefty frame. But while that nickname would stick, his weight did not become part of his shtick, as with the Fat Boys. What drew people to his music was his singular style, which celebrated an easygoing, party vibe - sometimes humorous, sometimes inspiring, and almost always positive.

In the mid-1990s, Heavy D became president of Uptown Records, the label that released most of his albums and was also the home to acts such as Mary J. Blige and Jodeci. He also created the theme songs for the sketch comedy shows In Living Color and MADtv and acted on the TV shows Boston Public and The Tracy Morgan Show, as well as in the films Life and Step Up.

Combined with the fusion of the "New Jack Swing" musical style, Heavy D was a constant presence on the charts.

His latest album, Love Opus, was released in September, and he performed a medley of his past hits at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards last month.