Howard Stern's Wack Packer Big Black Was 'Extra Giggly' in Weeks Before Death: Friend

Howard Stern's Wack Packer, Big Black, seemed perfectly "fine" and was actually "extra giggly" in the weeks leading up to his death, according to his good buddy, Lawrence Coward.

Coward, a fellow Wack Packer dubbed by Stern as the "King of All Blacks," tells TMZ ... he spoke with Big Black 2 weeks before BB died of natural causes from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The disease causes fatty plaque buildup inside the artery walls. 

Coward says Big Black called him up to see if he would join BB on an upcoming live YouTube discussion for fans of the Stern show. The two friends appeared with Howard and his sidekick, Robin Quivers, on "The Howard Stern Show" back in the day -- and talked about their funny, yet crazy life experiences.

During their last phone convo, Coward said he seemed "fine" and sounded like the same "depressed" person he always was. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary, Coward said, adding that Big Black did not indicate that he was suffering from any health issues.

Coward also recalled joking around with Big Black during their phone chat. And Big Black -- whose real name was Ronnie Benjamin -- just laughed as he always did and was even "extra giggly," according to Coward.

Before hanging up, Coward said he would get back to Big Black about the YouTube gig ... but when he did, his call went directly to BB's voicemail.

Soon, Coward said, he started receiving calls from concerned parties about Big Black ... prompting Coward to call and text BB to see if he was okay.

Coward never received a return phone call or text message.  

Big Black was 64.