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DMX: Cause Of Death Revealed

Brian Ives // Managing Editor, Beasley Media July 8th
INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 04: DMX performs onstage during the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour at The Forum on October 4, 2016 in Inglewood, California.

DMX official cause of death is a cocaine-induced heart attack that caused a lack of blood circulation to his brain, a source from the Westchester County medical examiner’s office told Vulture. “It was cardiac arrest for a period of time, so there was no circulation to the brain,” the source said. The source said that acute cocaine intoxication had “caused this chain of events.”

The rapper, whose legal name was Earl Simmons, died on April 9 at age 50  in Westchester County, New York. Simmons was hospitalized on April 2. An analysis of Simmons’s urine showed the presence of cocaine. The medical examiner’s office did not perform an autopsy, as they had determined the cause of death based upon documentation furnished by medical professionals and police, the source told Vulure.

GALLERY: 17 Facts About DMX You Might Not Know

  • Fact #17

    As a child, Simmons suffered greatly from bronchial asthma, being taken to the emergency room almost nightly due to him waking up unable to breathe.

  • Fact #16

    He was brought up in the Jehovah's Witness faith. At some point in his childhood, Simmons was hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street and suffered minor injuries. He claims his family could have received as much as $10,000 in a legal settlement, but his mother refused to open a case as she claimed it went against her faith.

  • Fact #15

    Simmons went through a disjointed childhood that included being beaten by his mother and her various boyfriends so badly that he lost teeth, and sustained numerous bruises and cuts on his face.

  • Fact #14

    Simmons chose the name "DMX", which came from an instrument he had used at the boys' home, the Oberheim DMX drum machine; it later was also interpreted as "Dark Man X."

  • Fact #13

    DMX got his start in the music industry in 1984, when he would beatbox for a local rapper named Ready Ron. After serving time in prison, he began writing his own lyrics and performed at the local rec center for younger children. After going to prison again in 1988, he began taking rapping more seriously, dedicating almost all of his free time to writing lyrics, leading him to meeting and rapping with K-Solo while incarcerated.

  • Fact #12

    DMX was first sent to prison in 1986 after stealing a dog from a junkyard. He was sentenced to two years in the juvenile unit of Woodfield Prison in Valhalla, New York. However, just weeks after starting his sentence, he and his cellmate successfully escaped the prison and DMX returned home to New York until his mother forced him to turn himself in and finish his sentence.

  • Fact #11

    Simmons was sent to prison again in 1988 for carjacking, and was later moved to a higher security prison after attempting to extort a fellow inmate for drugs. He was released that summer.

  • Fact #10

    DMX made a guest appearance alongside Jay Z, Ja Rule, and Mic Geronimo on the classic underground track "Time To Build" on Mic Geronimo's debut album in 1995. He also appeared on LL Cool J's single "4, 3, 2, 1" in 1997.

  • Fact #9

    DMX also made a cameo appearance in the Sum 41 music video for "Makes No Difference."

  • Fact #8

    In February 1998, DMX released his debut major-label single, "Get at Me Dog", on Def Jam. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA. His first major-label album, 1998's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, which included the single "Ruff Ryders Anthem." The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S and sold over five million copies.

  • Fact #7

    His fifth album, Grand Champ placed DMX as the only musical artist in history to release five consecutive albums (his entire album catalog at the time) that debuted at number one. Singles include "Where Tha Hood At" and "Get it on the Floor". After its release, he informed the public that he planned to retire, and that 2003's Grand Champ would be his final album.

  • Fact #6

    In 2009, DMX claimed he would pursue preaching in Jersey City, New Jersey while continuing to produce music. He completed a Gospel album prior to his incarceration. According to MTV, he had semi-retired to study the Bible more in an effort to give messages behind the pulpit.

  • Fact #5

    DMX has fifteen children. He had multiple extramarital affairs during his marriage to Tashera Simmons, whom he was married to for eleven years.

  • Fact #4

    On July 30, 2013, DMX filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing his child support obligations as his priority claim. The filing was challenged by the Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog trustee program, and was later dismissed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan on November 11, 2013.

  • Fact #3

    DMX has spoken openly about his addiction to crack cocaine, which began when he was 14 years old after he smoked a marijuana cigarette laced with the drug.

  • Fact #2

    On February 10, 2016, DMX was found unresponsive in a Ramada Inn parking lot in Yonkers. He was resuscitated by first responders and given Narcan before being rushed to the hospital.

  • Fact #1

    On September 20, 2019, it was officially announced that DMX had signed a new record deal with Def Jam, reuniting with the label for the first time since his 2003 album Grand Champ.

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