Troy Dixon (October 19, 1967 – July 15, 1990), better known as Trouble T Roy, was a hip-hop dancer with the group Heavy D and the Boyz from 1987 until his death in 1990.
When Heavy D & The Boyz burst on the scene. He was accompanied by two dancers & a dee jay. One of these dancers would go down in history as one of the most innovative dancers within the era
On July 14, 1990, while on tour in Indianapolis, Dixon and others were horseplaying after a performance and walking on a raised exit ramp outside Market Square Arena. During the commotion, someone pushed a trash barrel down the ramp.
Dixon got on the ledge to avoid the barrel, however he lost his balance and fell from a height of approximately two stories. He was rushed to hospital, but died the next day of injuries he had suffered, at age 22. His death was ruled an accident
Heavy D and the Boyz dedicated their next album, Peaceful Journey, to his memory in 1991.
Pete Rock & CL Smooth dedicated their song “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” to him in 1992.
Pete Rock discussed the song’s genesis in a 2007 interview with The Village Voice:
I had a friend of mine that passed away, and it was a shock to the community. I was kind of depressed when I made it. And to this day, I can’t believe I made it through, the way I was feeling. I guess it was for my boy. When I found the record by Tom Scott, basically I just heard something incredible that touched me and made me cry. It had such a beautiful bassline, and I started with that first. I found some other sounds and then heard some sax in there and used that. Next thing you know, I have a beautiful beat made. When I mixed the song down, I had Charlie Brown from Leaders of the New School in the session with me, and we all just started crying.”
-Pete Rock-
Rest in peace Trouble T Roy
