R.I.P.

11/8/11: Popular rapper Heavy D (real name: Dwight Arrington Myers) was rushed to an LA hospital after collapsing at his Beverly Hills home. Though Heavy was conscious when first responders arrived at the scene, he died shortly thereafter.                Nick Ashford 

8/21/11: Part of Motown singing duo Ashford & Simpson, Nick Ashford, succumbed to throat cancer at the age of 70. He was best known for his hits "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing".

1/20/12: Prolific singer/songwriter Etta James passed away after a long bout with leukemia. James bridged the gap between R&B and rock & roll, with hits like "Dance With Me, Henry," "At Last," "Tell Mama," and "I'd Rather Go Blind." She is the winner of 6 Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards as well as being an inductee to the . She.k & Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammy's Hall ,She was 73,.

2/1/12: Creator and host of the hit show "Soul Train", Don Cornelius, was found dead in his Los Angeles home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 75.Whitney Houston2/11/12: Gospel-trained pop diva, who during the course of her life sold over 55 million records, as well as the star of popular films "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale." Houston had become a regular feature in tabloids, due to her own admitted years of drug abuse and a tumultuous marriage with fellow musician and vocalist Bobby Brown. Houston died at age 48. The reason for her death was initially unknown.