“We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50 years old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days,” read a statement from the rapper’s family. “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever.
We appreciate all of the love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Please respect our privacy as we grieve the loss of our brother, father, uncle and the man the world knew as DMX. We will share information about his memorial service once details are finalized.”
It was first reported by TMZ on April 3 that Simmons was in critical condition and on life support in a hospital in White Plains, New York, following a cardiac arrest that may have been caused by a drug overdose. While Simmons’s attorney, Murray Richman, released a statement that day saying the hip-hop star had been removed from life support and was breathing on his own, he later explained that he had been misinformed. It was then reported that the rapper was in fact in a vegetative state with lung and brain failure and no brain activity, the result of suffering oxygen deprivation to his brain for 30 minutes at time of his heart attack. He had also tested positively for COVID-19 while hospitalized. On April 7, Simmons underwent a battery of tests, which revealed that his brain functionality had not improved.
Simmons was born in Mount Vernon, New York, on Dec. 18, 1970, and he endured a difficult childhood growing up in Yonkers — battling severe bronchial asthma, sustaining injuries after being struck by a drunk driver, allegedly suffering regular physical abuse at the hands of both his mother and several of her boyfriends, and spending time in and out of group homes for troubled youth. It was during his stay at one boys’ home that he bonded with other teens over hip-hop and was encouraged by a teacher to pursue music. Upon his release, and with the encouragement of a local rapper, Ready Ron, who recognized his talents, Simmons began performing under the stage name “Dark Man X” in 1984.
Simmons’s hip-hop career became serious in the early ‘90s, as he produced and sold his own mixtapes and built a local fanbase in New York. However, a 1992 deal with Ruffhouse/Columbia Records went nowhere, as he was released from the contract after one failed single. Simmons continued to collaborate with other rappers like Jay-Z, Ja Rule, Mic Geronimo, Mase, LL Cool J, and the LOX, and he finally exploded into the mainstream in 1998 after signing to his second major label, Ruff Ryders/Def Jam. His first Def Jam single, “Get at Me Dog,” went gold; his subsequent album, the Swizz Beatz-produced It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its May 1998 release, eventually going platinum five times over.