DMX ‘taken off life support and is breathing on his own’ after ‘overdose triggered heart attack’
RAPPER DMX has been taken off life support and is breathing on his own after suffering a heart attack triggered by a drug overdose, reports say. A lawyer for the 50-year-old rapper confirmed to Page Six that he is recovering at a hospital in Westchester, New York, after initially being placed on a ventilator. Attorney […]
RAPPER DMX has been taken off life support and is breathing on his own after suffering a heart attack triggered by a drug overdose, reports say.
A lawyer for the 50-year-old rapper confirmed to Page Six that he is recovering at a hospital in Westchester, New York, after initially being placed on a ventilator.
Attorney Murray Richman would not confirm an earlier TMZ report that the heart attack had been caused by an overdose.
“I refuse to vouch for that because I have no personal knowledge,” Richman said
“He was taken off life support around 3 p.m. At the moment, he’s breathing on his own.”
Richman added that DMX, who was born Earl Simmons, has been joined in the hospital by his first wife and some of his 15 children.
Earlier on Saturday, TMZ had reported that the “Where the Hood At” rapper was in a critical condition after an overdose at his home at around 11pm on Friday night.
DMX was being treated in a critical care unit in White Plains, New York.
A source told TMZ he was in a “vegetative state,” while another claimed the Harlem-born musician has “some brain activity.”
Information first started to circulate when famed NY rapper Eric B shared an image of himself and DMX.
He captioned the image: “Please pray for my brother DMX,” along with the hashtag #DMXhospitalized.
Ja Rule, who was in rap group Murder Inc. with DMX and Jay-Z, was one of the first to send him well wishes.
“Prayers up for my brother DMX,” he wrote on Twitter.
Missy Elliot tweeted “prayers for DMX and his family”, while Academy Award winner Viola Davis said she was “Praying for DMX.”
DMX has reportedly struggled with drug addiction throughout his adult life – and has openly addressed the issues within his songs.
In 2016, Page Six reported DMX stopped breathing and had no pulse after suffering a drug overdose in a Westchester, New York, parking lot.
Luckily, a medic on hand administered Narcan, an anti-opioid used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, according to police.
The rapper became “semiconscious” and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received treatment.
A few years later he signed a new deal with Def Jam in September 2019 – the label he initially signed his first major-label deal with in 1998.
The following month, he entered in to a drug rehab program.
In August 2020, X announced he was working on his first album since 2015’s Redemption of the Beast LP.
DMX’s career has been super prolific, with his best-selling album, … And Then There Was X, cementing his place as a shining light of hip hop music upon release in 1999.
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Since his debut, DMX has released seven studio albums.
X has also successfully ventured into film, featuring in movies such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave and Last Hour.
And in 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man.