Biz Markie Laid to Rest in Ceremony Fit for a Legend

Beloved rapper Biz Markie passed away in July, and has now been laid to rest in a ceremony quite fitting for his status as a rap music legend. According to Hip Hop DX, Markie — whose real name is Marcel Theo Hall — was honored by family and close friends in a memorial on Monday. The outlet reports that Markie was laid to rest in a gold Gucci suit custom-made by Dapper Dan.

Markie had been hospitalized for a few weeks, with reports eventually emerging that he died after having a stroke while recovering from a diabetic episode. Among those who attended Markie’s funeral were Fat Joe, Ice-T, Erick Sermon, Redman, and Big Daddy Kane. Markie was also eulogized by a few good friends, including Montell Jordan and Rev. Al Sharpton. Near the end of the memorial, Markie’s wife, Tara Davis-Hall, took to the podium and spoke about her late husband, whom she was married to for 16 years.

“A lot of you guys have been riding with me for the past year, but I just want to tell you what kind of husband and father Biz was,” the grieving widow began. “He was a man of God and he was amazing, of course. As soon as he would step into our house, into our door from being on the road, he would yell, ‘Tara, Avery, Major, I’m home!’ With his backpack still on, we would just run downstairs and give him a big, big hug. I mean, you would think he was been gone for like weeks and weeks and weeks, but it would only be like a day or two [laughs].”

Davis-Hall added, “I always wanted us our house to be the best place that he was all week and it was. It was loud with jokes, music, TV, FaceTime, conversations — I heard all the conversations he was having with you guys. When he’d hang up, I’d be like, ‘You know you lyin’, right?’”

Markie’s wife also shared that former First Couple Barack and Michelle Obama reached out to offer her their sympathy after Markie’s death. “Even presidents…Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, they sent me a heartfelt letter,” Davis-Hall said. “Avery and I were blown away that they took their time out to send their condolences about the loss of our loved one and our family. I mean, Barack and Michelle Obama. That’s kind of person Biz was … He was just an amazing person.”