Mary J. Blige and Sean Combs are expected to be among the mourners when rapper Heavy D is laid to rest in New York next week (18Nov11).

A private funeral has been planned for the 44 year old who died on Tuesday (08Nov11).

There will be a public viewing of the rap star's body for fans on 17 November (11), according to reports.

The hip-hop star, real name Dwight Arrington Myers, was found unconscious outside his home in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles an hour later.

There were no obvious signs of foul play.