Big Punisher

Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 - February 7, 2000) better known as Big Punisher, was a Puerto Rican rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in the Bronx in the late 1990s. He appeared on albums from

Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 - February 7, 2000) better known as Big Punisher, was a Puerto Rican rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in the Bronx in the late 1990s. He appeared on albums from Raekwon, the Beatnuts and Fat Joe, and eventually signed to Loud Records. Struggling with weight problems during his lifetime, Pun's career was cut short in 2000 after a fatal heart attack. He was survived by a wife and three children.

While in eighth grade, Pun met Liza, the woman he would eventually marry in 1990 and have three children with. After living in the home of his girlfriend and her mother for a short time, Pun had to relocate to Miami for a while to live with his grandmother. In Miami he eventually had trouble securing a place to stay, and preoccupied himself with odd jobs. This continued when he moved back to the Bronx, eventually working as a cargo loader. Fed up with his job, he contacted a lawyer who had been handling a case for him for since he was a child. As age five, Chris broke his leg at a municipal park (a building playground in Manhattan) and his mother had been trying to collect money from the city. For years there was no word on the case until a nineteen year old Pun contacted the lawyer, who informed him that it was finally settled for an estimated half million dollars. The money would provide a better life for Pun and his family, but it would also be one of the factors that lead to his eventual passing.