Legendary rapper DMX, aka Earl Simmons, passes away at 50

New York rapper DMX, real name Earl Simmons, has passed away at 50 after suffering a heart attack this past week.

The rapper’s longtime lawyer confirmed his death after a statement from his family said that the artist has died after nearly a week on life support following his heart attack.

DMX was hospitalised after a heart attack on April 2 and had been placed in a critical care unit at White Plains hospital, New York.

Also read: Rapper DMX in critical condition after suffering from a heart attack

DMX was born as Earl Simmons in the New York suburb of Mount Vernon in 1970. He took his stage name from an Oberheim DMX drum machine in one of the children’s homes he was partly raised in.

A 1992 deal with Columbia Records faltered, but he later signed with Def Jam, who released his debut single Get at Me Dog in 1998. This began a period of major success that included a much-admired performance in front of an estimated 200,000 people at the notorious Woodstock festival in 1999.