Prince Williams/FilmMagicAnother hitmaker gone too soon.
Platinum-selling rapper Heavy D died Tuesday of as-yet unknown causes after being rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, E! News has confirmed. He was 44.
"RIP. Heavy D. i can;t believe that. I can't. Was just in London w him. WTF," tweeted Estelle.
And the outpouring of tributes continued, proving that Heavy D truly was a man of the people.
Just a few weeks ago, the old-school favorite performed a medley of his greatest hits, including "Nuttin' But Love," "Is It Good to You," "I Want Somebody" and "Now That We Found Love," at the 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
He also appeared Oct. 8 at the Michael Jackson tribute concert in Cardiff, Wales.
"Man. I was just with Heavy D recently in London," tweeted Ne-Yo. "Had I known it'd be the last time I'd see him, I woulda told him he was truly great. RIP..."
Born Dwight Arrington Myers in Jamaica, the self-proclaimed "overweight lover" scored his biggest hits in the late 1980s and 1990s as part of Heavy D and the Boyz. The group's sophomore album, Big Tyme, and Nuttin' But Love in 1994 hit No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart.
Heavy D posted his last tweet just 16 hours ago, writing, "BE INSPIRED!" About an hour before that, he had written, "SMOKIN JOE FRAZIER..RIP.. truly one of the best heavyweight champs that ever lived.. GODS SPEED,MR FRAZIER!"
"R.I.P Rap legend Heavy D One Of The Most Influential Rappers Of The '90s Era... Smh Another Sad Day For Music You Will Def Be Missed Man," tweeted Sean Kingston.
"Last tweet of the day: Rest In Paradise to a GOOD FRIEND & legendary hip hop icon Dwight Arrington 'Heavy D' Myers. Damn life sometimes !!!" wrote the rapper Game.
"RIP Heavy D......you were one of the greats an will not be forgotten," tweeted Uncle Kracker.
"RIP HEAVY D! He was a really nice man! Sending my condolences to him and his family!" wrote Ciara.
"Ahhhh RIP Heavy D. SO Sad :( I grew up on his music....," added reality-TV star Shanna Moakler.
"Ahhh man! Heavy D?! Dwight wz a dear friend. Fond memories of a truly cool brutha," tweeted Samuel L. Jackson.
"Heavy D gave me advice when I was pregnant. He said, 'Cherish every single moment. It goes by way too fast'. Rest in peace, Heavy D," wrote Alyssa Milano.
In addition to his work with the Boyz, Heavy D also recorded the theme songs to In Living Color and MADtv and, before topping the charts with Nuttin' But Love, appeared on the TV shows Roc, A Different World and Living Single.
"It was D's brilliance to come up with the line that summed up our historic show on its opening...'what's mine is yours, what's yours is mine,'" comedian and former In Living Color star Tommy Davidson said in a statement to E! News. "Most know Heavy D as a rap icon; I considered him a brother who made an indelible mark on me as a performer and a human being. I miss him already."
The actor-rapper also had roles on the big screen in the Eddie Murphy comedy Life, Big Trouble and The Cider House Rules, and has a cameo as a security guard in Tower Heist.
Lt. Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills Police Department tells E! News that a 911 call was made from the 400 block of Maple Drive (where Heavy D's home is) at 11:25 a.m. reporting an unconscious man on an outside walkway. When paramedics arrived, the man was conscious and able to communicate, but was having trouble breathing.
He was transported to nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 12:08 p.m., according to L.A. County Chief Coroner Craig Harvey.
"It was reported to us that he had seen a private physician in the last month," Harvey told E! "We do not know what for and have not talked to the physician."
Police are investigating and have not yet released any information. An autopsy could take place as early as Wednesday.
Heavy D's death was first reported by TMZ.
—Additional reporting by Holly Passalaqua