Heavy D
Rapper Heavy D, seen here in 2008, died in Los Angeles on Nov. 8 at the age of 44. Los Angeles Coroner's Office has said that the MC died of a pulmonary embolism. REUTERS

Heavy D is dead at 44, TMZ reports, and he's headed to the Thugz Mansion -- or wherever it is that great rappers go when they die -- to join the Notorious B.I.G., who immortalized the lesser-known Heavy in his rap classic Juicy.

UPDATE: The Los Angeles Coroner's Office revealed the details behind his death Tuesday evening in an exclusive interview with the International Business Times. Also, his death is rumored to have been caused by heart attack, and he apparently had pneumonia at the time of his passing, TMZ said.

Salt n Pepa and Heavy D up in the Limousine - for thousands of non-rapheads, the influential spitter was best known for being a part of that classic Biggie line.

But to people in the know, Heavy D -- real name Dwight Arrington Myers -- was the beloved big man behind the theme song to the ubiquitous nineties TV show In Living Color and the dance-rap jam Now That We Found Love.

TMZ reports that Heavy performed as recently as Oct. 8, and that he was taken to an L.A. hospital earlier today, where he was pronounced dead at about 1 p.m. TMZ reported that a 911 call went out from his Beverly Hills home reporting an unconscious male on the home's walkway at about 11:25 a.m. this morning, but that he was conscious and able to speak when he was first found.

Police are investigating the death, TMZ said, and they do not expect foul play.

Born May 24, 1967 in Jamaica, Heavy D's family moved to Mount Vernon, N.Y., when he was young.

He recorded a number of hits, including the In Living Color track with Heavy D & the Boyz on Uptown Records. He also had a successful acting career, appearing in a number of movies and television shows.

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