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With the sudden passing of Heavy D today in Los Angeles, the Hip-Hop community is heartbroken over the loss of one of its crown jewels. Heavy D, real name Dwight Arrington Myers, was rushed to an L.A. hospital around noon today and was pronounced dead at 1 p.m. While many new Hip-Hop heads don’t remember much of Heavy’s material, there’s an army of folks who grew up on songs like “Now That We Found Love”and “Nothing But Love.” He was born May 24, 1967 and died November 8, 2011. Here’s a list of 10 facts you didn’t know about Heavy D.

10. Jamaican Man

While many know that Heavy D was a Mount Vernon resident, he was actually born in Jamaica in 1967 to a nurse and a machine technician.

9. The Big Screen

Heavy D was sure known for being a big fellow, but many forget how many big screen appearances he made. He’s been in 24 movies and most recently, the new Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller movie, Tower Heist.

8. Jack Of All Trades

Heavy D initially came into the Hip-Hop game as a member of the group, “Heavy D & The Boyz.” He was producing for the group while at the same time rapping. He later moved into acting and built a successful career out of that.

7. Seven Albums

Heavy D’s first album Living Large dropped in 1987. Since then, he’s done six more studio albums which was supposed to end with Love Opus sometime this year. Here are the rest of his albums and their release dates — Big Tyme (1989), Peaceful Journey (1991), Blue Funk (1993), Nuttin’ But Love (1994), Waterbed Hev (1997), and Heavy (1999).

6. Uptown Records

Heavy D became the first signed artist under famed record mogul Andre Harrell’s label, Uptown Records.

5. Quench Your Thirst!

Many Hip-Hop fans noticed that rapper Drake did a Sprite commercial a few years ago. But many don’t know that Heavy D actually starred in a Sprite commercial back in 1990 rocking a bright yellow and green ensemble. He paved the way.

4. Theme Song

Heavy D & The Boyz did the theme song for the popular 90s show In Living Color

3. Jay-Z Who?

Many say that Jay-Z was the first rapper to become a president of a record label with Def Jam. But Heavy D has dibs on that claim before anyone as he became the president of Uptown Records in 1996.

2. First Movie Role

Heavy D became one of the first rapper turned actors in 1990 when he appeared in the movie “Be Cool.”

1. Last Performance

Heavy D recently performed at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta this past October. It was his first and last performance in 15 years.