Christopher Boykin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Big Black
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![]() Big Black in June 2010 in Los Angeles
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Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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January 13, 1972
Died | May 9, 2017 Plano, Texas, U.S.
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(aged 45)
Other names | "Big Black" Boykin, Chris, Big B, BB |
Occupation |
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Years active | 2002–2017 |
Spouse(s) |
Shannon Turley
(m. 2008; div. 2009) |
Children | 1 |
Christopher "Big Black" Boykin was a television star and musician. He was born on January 13, 1972, and passed away on May 9, 2017. Many people knew him from the MTV reality show Rob & Big. On this show, he teamed up with professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek. They were on the show from 2006 to 2008.
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Early Life of Big Black
Christopher Boykin was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Raleigh, Mississippi. He finished high school in Wiggins, Mississippi in 1990. After school, he served in the United States Navy.
Big Black's TV Shows
Rob Dyrdek, a professional skateboarder, first hired Boykin. This was for a funny video skit for DC Shoes. Boykin's job was to be Dyrdek's bodyguard. He would protect Dyrdek from security guards.
Starring in Rob & Big
From November 2006 to April 2008, Boykin and Dyrdek starred in their own reality show. It was called Rob & Big and aired on MTV. The show followed their daily adventures.
Video Game Appearances
In 2006, Rob and Big visited EA Black Box studios. This was to help create a video game. They used special technology called motion capture. This made them characters in the game. The game was called Skate and came out in 2007. Boykin and Dyrdek also appeared in the next game, Skate 2, released in 2009.
Setting World Records
In 2008, Boykin achieved two amazing feats. He set two Guinness World Records. One record was for eating three bananas in just one minute. The other record was for eating five powdered doughnuts. He finished them in two minutes and 45 seconds.
Later TV Roles
Boykin left Rob & Big after the third season. This was because he was starting a family. MTV then launched Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory in 2009. Boykin joined this show in 2011. He stayed with the show until its last episode in 2015. He also appeared on three episodes of Dyrdek's show Ridiculousness. This show started in 2011. Boykin also made guest appearances on other MTV shows. These included Guy Code and Snack Off.
Big Black's Final Years
Christopher Boykin married Shannon Turley in 2008. They had a daughter named Isis. Even though they later separated, they remained close. They were living together again before his passing. This was due to his health getting worse. Isis was nine years old when her father passed away in May 2017.
Boykin had a special device for his heart. It was called a defibrillator. In early May 2017, he was in the hospital in Plano, Texas. Doctors were watching his heart closely. On May 9, his heart stopped. Hospital staff tried for 30 minutes to help him. He was pronounced deceased at 4:00 p.m. His heart failure was caused by a heart attack.