Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
By Kellie Williams
On Friday, April 9, Earl Simmons, better known as DMX, received his Heavenly wings. The rapper was rushed to the hospital to a hospital in White Plains on Friday, April 2 where he was reported to be in critical condition following a heart attack at his home that may have resulted from a drug overdose.
His family stated, ““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. 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.”
On April 3, his attorney, Murray Richman, confirmed DMX was on life support. Later that day, Richman stated he was off life support and breathing on his own, but he clarified that evening that DMX remained on life support and he had “been given wrong information”.
That same night, it was reported had suffered oxygen deprivation to his brain as paramedics attempted to resuscitate him for 30 minutes.
On April 4, DMX’s former manager Nakia Walker stated DMX was in a “vegetative state” with “lung and brain failure and no current brain activity”.
On April 7, his manager, Steve Rifkind, stated DMX was comatose and that he was set to undergo tests to determine his brain’s functionality which would allow his family to,
“determine what’s best from there”.
DMX was a rapper, songwriter, and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. He released his best-selling album, … And Then There Was X, in 1999, which included the hit single “Party Up (Up in Here)”.
DMX has been featured in films such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave, and Last Hour. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man, which was primarily aired on the BET cable television network. In 2003, he published a book of his memoirs entitled, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.
