Jamaican rapper Heavy D will be laid to rest on Friday.

Rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs and the Reverend Al Sharpton will speak at the private funeral service at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon on November 18. Meanwhile, BET Networks is planning a tribute for the late rapper at Sunday's Soul Train awards.

Heavy D died on November 8 after being found unconscious at his Los Angeles home. After collapsing in an exterior hallway, he was transported to Cedars Sinai Medical Centre where he later died.

Born Dwight Arrington Myers in Jamaica in 1967, Heavy D found fame with his band The Boyz scoring hits with tracks such as Now That We Found Love. Heavy D has done work with reggae entertainers Super Cat and Buju Banton and the late king of pop Michael Jackson among a host of others.