Biz Markie brought the joy Ice-T,
Fat Joe, Sharpton, family in love fest at funeral
Biz Markie was more than just a friend. He was a larger-than-life beat-boxing benefactor who made every day feel like Christmas, his loved ones said Monday at his funeral on Long Island.
Speaking to a star-studded crowd that included Ice-T and Fat Joe, Markie’s widow Tara Hall recalled how the innovative rapper, D.J. and producer who died last month at age 57 entered their home like he was walking onto a sitcom set, playfully announcing his arrival at the top of his lungs.
“He made me laugh every day. That is not hyperbole,” she said, praising his trademark “toothy smile” from the stage of the Patchogue Theatre during the afternoon service livestreamed by BET.
The “Just a Friend” rapper loved cereal, his four-pound Yorkie named Major, the mystery show “Matlock,” and shouting the phrase “From all angles!” as he dive-bombed his wife and daughter Averi “out of nowhere” around their house, Hall said.
“Biz was super special. He brought joy to everyone he encountered,” she said.
“He used to say to me and my mother, ‘Christmas is all the time,’ ” Averi told the crowd.
“Christmas is about giving and receiving not only gifts but love, and I felt that every day. …
“I can’t explain to you all the love that I felt for him. I loved him so much.”
Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall in Harlem in 1964, died July 16 after a long history battling type 2 diabetes.
Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy, saying he couldn’t even count the times Markie showed up at community-building events to lend his support.
“If you needed him, he was there,” Sharpton said.
“He was a cultural icon without us exaggerating that.
“He was a trendsetter. He was a humanitarian.
“He was somebody who deserved all of the accolades he gets and more because he was us.”