RAPPER, ACTOR DMX DIES AGED 50 AFTER HEALTH BATTLE

Sat 10 April 2021:

American rapper and actor Earl Simmons, known by the stage name DMX or Dark Man X, died on Friday, his record label said, after he suffered a heart attack during what media reports said was a drug overdose. He was 50 years old.

The Grammy-nominated performer died after suffering “catastrophic cardiac arrest,” according to the hospital in White Plains, New York, where he died. He was rushed there from his home on April 2. A statement from relatives said he died “with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days.”

The chart-topping artist’s songs included “Party Up (Up in Here)” and “X Gon’ Give It To Ya.” His career had been marked by legal troubles and prison time.

Music label Def Jam Recordings said in a statement it was saddened by “the loss of our brother Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons.”

“DMX was a brilliant artist and an inspiration to millions around the world,” the statement said.

“His message of triumph over struggle, his search for the light out of darkness, his pursuit of truth and grace brought us closer to our own humanity.”

DMX collapsed at home late on April 2. Celebrity publications TMZ and Billboard said he had overdosed on drugs triggering a heart attack.

On Friday, White Plains Hospital in New York said DMX had died peacefully with family by his side after suffering a “catastrophic cardiac arrest.”

Growing up in Yonkers, New York, DMX took his moniker from the name of a drum machine used in rap songs. When he was 14, an older rapper who had been a mentor tricked him into smoking crack, DMX said in a documentary series broadcast on BET.

“He created a monster,” he said. “Cocaine almost took my life on a few occasions.”

DMX earned more than 40 film and television credits, including “Belly,” “Romeo Must Die,” and action films “Cradle 2 the Grave” and “Exit Wounds,” also contributing music to their soundtracks.

He had 15 children, according to media reports.

Before he died, his ex-wife Tashera Simmons, with whom he had four children, attended a vigil outside his hospital, where hundreds of fans danced to DMX songs. “The love is real,” she posted on Instagram.