I will always remember him as a powerful spirit with a big heart. He wanted to be a voice for others who also battled demons and it's heartbreaking he wasn't able to defeat his own. Journalist Andrea Duncan-Mao, who conducted DMX's first interview on MTV and and covered him extensively between 1998-2002, told Gothamist, 'DMX was the most charismatic artist I've ever covered, a commanding and peerless performer with a vulnerability that connected with so many. He represented darkness and struggle at a moment when rap seemed like it was trying to distance itself from those things. With singles including 'Ruff Ryders' Anthem' and 'Slippin',' DMX became an immediate success, and his aggressive and unmistakable style served as a rougher, rawer counterpart to a rap scene which was at its most flashy at the time.

Naming himself after an Oberheim DMX drum machine, he started to gain a following in the mid-90s before releasing both his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and its followup Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood in 1998. We will share information about his memorial service once details are finalized.”īorn in Mount Vernon in 1970 and partially raised in Yonkers, Simmons had a troubled childhood marked by poverty and physical abuse, as well as time spent in group homes and several brushes with the law. Please respect our privacy as we grieve the loss of our brother, father, uncle and the man the world knew as DMX. We appreciate all of the love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever. 'He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end,' they said in a statement.

His family said in a statement that he died at White Plains Hospital on Friday with his family by his side.

He was 50.ĭMX, whose birth name was Earl Simmons, was hospitalized on April 2nd after suffering an apparent drug overdose and heart attack at his home in White Plains. DMX, the actor and rap icon whose unmistakable raspy vocals carried indelible hits including 'Party Up' and 'X Gon' Give It To Ya,' has died.

X gon give it to ya cradle 2 the grave