Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Iconic Rapper DMX Has Died At 50
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 9, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Stephanie Augello/Shutterstock
View all 16
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 9, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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. He was 50.
DMX, 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.
His family said in a statement that he died at White Plains Hospital on Friday with his family by his side.
“Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end," they said in a statement. "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.”
Born 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. 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.
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. As Stereogum put it, "People loved him. He represented darkness and struggle at a moment when rap seemed like it was trying to distance itself from those things. His mere presence was revolutionary."
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 wanted to be a voice for others who also battled demons and it's heartbreaking he wasn't able to defeat his own. I will always remember him as a powerful spirit with a big heart. His smile too, when you got to see it, was full of life and love."
DMX released eight studio albums altogether, plus a handful of compilations and one mixtape.
As his family wrote: "Everything about DMX was unremittingly intense, from his muscular, tattooed physique to his gruff, barking delivery, which made a perfect match for his trademark lyrical obsession with dogs. Plus, there was substance behind the style; much of his work was tied together by a fascination with the split between the sacred and the profane. He could move from spiritual anguish one minute to a narrative about the sins of the streets the next, yet keep it all part of the same complex character, sort of like a hip-hop Johnny Cash. The results were compelling enough to make DMX the first artist ever to have his first four albums enter the charts at number one."
In addition to his rap work, he also had a career in acting, starting with a lead role in Hype Williams' film Belly; he'd go on to appear in over a dozen more films and TV series, including Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and Cradle 2 The Grave.
He continued to struggle with drug addiction throughout his career, and as the Times noted, he was arrested repeatedly "for fraud, assault, driving under the influence and without a license, and weapon and narcotics possession, among other things." He went to jail in 2008 after pleading guilty to charges of drug possession, theft, and animal cruelty; he was sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion in 2018.
Since getting out of jail, he had been actively working on a new album for Def Jam, and he participated in a popular Verzuz battle with Snoop Dogg.
In an interview with rapper Talib Kweli in 2020, he opened up about his battle with addiction and how it impacted his life: “Drugs were a symptom of a bigger problem,” he said. “There were things that I went through in my childhood where I just blocked it out—but there’s only so much you can block out before you run out of space,” he said. “I really didn’t have anybody to talk to about it. So often talking about your problems is viewed as a sign of weakness. When it’s actually one of the bravest things you can do.” You can watch that interview below.
You can check out some more tweets and tributes to DMX from friends, peers and admirers below.
Tagged
Music
obit
rap
dmx
death
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .