UPDATE: Following news of Boykin’s death, an MTV spokesperson released a statement saying, “MTV is deeply saddened to learn the news of Christopher ‘Big Black’ Boykin’s passing. He was a long time and beloved member of the MTV family and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends at this time.”
EARLIER: Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, the reality star who joined friend Rob Dyrdek on MTV’s “Rob & Big” in the 2000s, died Tuesday morning. He was 45.
TMZ reported the news, which HuffPost confirmed with Boykin’s rep. According to People, the cause of death was a heart attack.
Boykin rose to fame in 2006, getting up to ridiculous hijinks with Dyrdek on the pair’s reality show. The two later had a falling out, which Dyrdek opened up about in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
“It was a strange period,” Dyrdek said.
“I had been a pro skateboarder for years,” he added, “so me transitioning to mainstream fame was relatively smooth, right? Where for him it was the idea that, man, he was like working security two years earlier and now he’s on television, right? It was a much different dynamic. But I think we both struggled.”
Dyrdek said he didn’t want to be known as Rob from “Rob & Big,” and Boykin didn’t want to be known as a sidekick, which led to tension and a big blowout.
The two eventually reconciled enough for Boykin to make appearances on “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.”
Boykin’s friends and fans, including Chanel West Coast from “Fantasy Factory,” sent out messages of love online.
Boykin is survived by a 9-year-old daughter.
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