Pallbearers helped carry the casket of rapper Dwight “Heavy D” Myers at his funeral service at Grace Baptist Church on Friday (November 18) in Mount Vernon, New York.The 44 year died unexpectedly on November 8th in Los Angeles.
President Obama wrote a letter of encouragement to the family and friends of the late rapper, which was read aloud by Rev. Al Sharpton: ~ “We extend our heartfelt condolences at this difficult time. He will be remembered for his infectious optimism and many contributions to American music. Please know that you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.”
A few of his celebrity friends (including Diddy, Will Smith and Mary J. Blige) were there to pay their respects. Heavy D is survived by his 11-year-old daughter, Xea Myers, who briefly spoke, saying that her father is “still here, not in the flesh, but in the spirit.”
For all of the emotions usually equated with death, Dwight “Heavy D” Myers’ funeral was billed as a celebration of the artist’s life. As such, it could not – and would not – be such a sad affair. As the mayor-elect of Heavy’s hometown of Mount Vernon, New York put it, “We are not here because Heavy D died. We are here because Heavy D lived.”
President Obama wrote a letter of encouragement to the family and friends of the late rapper, which was read aloud by Rev. Al Sharpton: ~ “We extend our heartfelt condolences at this difficult time. He will be remembered for his infectious optimism and many contributions to American music. Please know that you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.”
A few of his celebrity friends (including Diddy, Will Smith and Mary J. Blige) were there to pay their respects. Heavy D is survived by his 11-year-old daughter, Xea Myers, who briefly spoke, saying that her father is “still here, not in the flesh, but in the spirit.”
For all of the emotions usually equated with death, Dwight “Heavy D” Myers’ funeral was billed as a celebration of the artist’s life. As such, it could not – and would not – be such a sad affair. As the mayor-elect of Heavy’s hometown of Mount Vernon, New York put it, “We are not here because Heavy D died. We are here because Heavy D lived.”
What became clear, from within the two overflowing halls of Mount Vernon’s Grace Baptist Church, was that Heavy D had touched countless lives – particularly in the hip-hop and African-American communities.
Three Mount Vernon police officers sat down the row from BET President Stephen Hill. A woman and her daughter held a VIP pass from a concert Heavy D must have performed years ago, just as a cab driver had shown off photos of himself and Heavy from their shared high school days. “There’s stories on every corner of this city, of people he helped,” said the pastor, without exaggeration.
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