HEAVY D, the Jamaica-born rapper who had huge chart-topping success with his group the Boyz, is dead.

According to United States media reports, the 44-year-old was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital and pronounced dead at 1:00 pm yesterday. No cause was given for his death and no foul play was suspected.

 In the 1990s, Heavy D (real name Dwight Arrington Myers) had massive success with dancehall songs Dem Nuh Worry We which he did with Super Cat in 1992 and Big and Ready which was also done with Super Cat and singer Frankie Paul.

In 2008, he paid homage to his Jamaican roots with an album entitled Vibes.

Back then he was quoted by the Los Angeles Times saying: "If you go back and follow my career, you'll see that I've always had reggae influences."

Born in Jamaica and moving to New York at eight, Heavy D made his entry into the music scene in 1987. Four years later, he and the Boyz had phenomenal success with Now That We Found Love.