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It was a celebration of Heavy D's life, so it included some laughs.

There were also tears. Singer Johnny Gill welled up as he prepared to perform.

"Never would have made it without you," sang Gill.

A standing room-only crowd packed the Grace Baptist Church to pay tribute to Dwight Errington Myers, better known as Heavy D or to friends as simply "Hev." He died last week at 44 after collapsing outside his Beverly Hills home. His family blamed complications from pneumonia.

Heavy D was known for creating music with an easygoing party vibe, a blend of R&B and rap. He enjoyed his greatest success in the late 80s and early 90s.

The funeral drew a who's who from the hip hop world, including Jay-Z, Queen Latifah, and Heavy D's old friend Sean "Diddy" Combs, who's also from Mount Vernon. He credited Hev with helping him break into the music business.

"He was a superstar in every sense of the word. He was larger than life, from the way he rapped, to the way he dressed, to the way he danced, to the way he moved," said Combs.

Among the speakers at the service was the Reverend Al Sharpton, who surprised Heavy D's daughter Xea Myers with a letter from Washington.

"Please know that you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers. I want you to frame this from the president of the United States," said Sharpton.

Then Myers told the crowd that her father lives on.

"He's still here, not in flesh, but in spirit and in love," said Myers.

Mount Vernon Mayor-Elect Ernie Davis told mourners "we are not here because Heavy D died, we are here because he lived.” No one there could argue with that.