Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. Vibe ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996). Heavy D, the C.E.O. New York Times (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-American rapper, record producer, and actor. He was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group that included dancers/hype men G-Whiz (Glen Parrish) and "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), as well as DJ and producer Eddie F (Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizeable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released included production mainly by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, Myers's cousin Pete Rock, and "in-house" beatmaker Eddie F. Myers also released four solo albums and discovered Soul for Real and Monifah.
In 1989, Heavy D performed a guest rapping on Janet Jackson's hit single "Alright", an early example of rap appearances on pop songs. It was also the highest peaking song which he had performed on in the Billboard Hot 100. In 1992 he appeared on Michael Jackson's single "Jam", and also gained a higher profile by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also Mad TV. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in various television shows before returning to the music charts with Nuttin' But Love. After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev. In 1997, Heavy D collaborated with B.B. King on his duets album Deuces Wild, rapping in the song "Keep It Coming". Heavy D was referred to in the song "Juicy" by the Notorious BIG, and appeared in his music video for "One More Chance". Heavy D & The Boyz were also referred to by American rapper Eminem in his single Rap God.
While still an artist at Uptown Records, Myers was instrumental in convincing Andre Harrell to originally hire Sean Combs for his first music business gig as an internship. He became the president of Uptown Records. During this time, Myers also developed the boy band Soul for Real, and was the executive producer and principal writer of several songs on the group's breakout album, Candy Rain. He later became senior vice president at Universal Music. As an actor, Heavy D is perhaps best known for his role in the 1999 drama film The Cider House Rules, where he plays a migrant worker. He fathered a daughter in 2000 with Antonia Lofaso, an American Celebrity Chef and restauranteur.
Shortly after his death, MC Hammer and others paid tribute to Heavy D on Twitter. Hammer tweeted that, "We had a lot of great times touring together. He had a heart of gold. He was a part of what's good about the world." His funeral was held at Grace Baptist Church in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York. He was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
1993 | Who's the Man? | Himself | |
1995 | New Jersey Drive | Bo-Kane | |
1997 | B*A*P*S | Himself | |
The Deli | Bo | ||
1999 | Life | Jake | |
The Cider House Rules | Peaches | ||
2000 | Next Afternoon | Short | |
2002 | Big Trouble | FBI Agent Pat Greer | |
2003 | Black Listed | Frankie | Video |
Dallas 362 | Bear | ||
2004 | Larceny | Charles | |
2006 | Step Up | Omar | |
2011 | Tower Heist | Court House Guard | |
2012 | H4 | Archbishop Scroop | Posthumous release |
1989 | A Different World | Himself | Episode: "Delusions of Daddyhood" |
1990 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Himself | Episode: "Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect: Part 2" |
1992 | Booker | Fatz Turner | Episode: "Mobile Home" |
Tales from the Crypt | Farouche | Episode: "On a Deadman's Chest" | |
1993 | Roc | Calvin Hendricks | Recurring cast: season 2–3 |
1994–96 | Living Single | Darryl | Recurring cast: season 2, guest: season 4 |
1996 | Waynehead | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Botswana Aki and the Hydrant of Doom" |
1997 | Drexel (voice) | Episode: "The Golden Goose" | |
1999 | Martial Law | Gordon Ganza | Episode: "This Shogun for Hire" |
2000 | For Your Love | Dexter | Episode: "The Accidental Doctor" |
2000–03 | Boston Public | Bob 'Big Boy' Lick | Recurring cast: season 1–3 |
2003–04 | The Tracy Morgan Show | Bernard | Main cast |
2005 | Yes, Dear | Charlie | Episode: "Barbecue" |
Bones | Sid Shapiro | Recurring cast: Season 1 | |
2011 | Are We There Yet? | Craig | Episode: "The Mr. Almost Episode" |
Supreme | Episode: "Personal Fouls" |
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