Legendary rapper-actor DMX passes away at age 50

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Hip-hop fans around the world are saddened today after learning of the passing of Earl Simmons, aka DMX. The rapper-actor has had a major influence on pop culture since his debut album in 1998. That year also marked his big-screen debut in the gangster movie Belly.

DMX would go on to appear opposite Jet Li in Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 The Grave and Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds. While his music and film output had been steady in the 2000s, his song "X Gon' Give It To Ya", the lead single from Cradle 2 The Grave, has become a meme as well as a key track from Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool.

After a lifetime of struggling with addiction, DMX's death comes with the suspicion that it could have been triggered by an overdose. The iconic rapper was rushed to a hospital in White Plains, New York on April 2 after suffering a heart attack. On April 3rd, DMX's lawyer Murray Richman told The Associated Press that the rapper was placed on life support but would not confirm if an overdose of drugs had triggered the heart attack.

Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.