After getting rushed to a New York hospital on April 2, and remaining on life support for the past week, DMX (real name Earl Simmons) has passed away at the age of 50. The New York based rapper had been found unconscious from a heart attack, possibly following an overdose.

With a successful career that started in the early 90’s, DMX (or X as he was often referred to) had built a career that saw him go from beatboxer for a local rapper, to multi-platinum selling albums. Some of these, would go on to win several award nominations, and award wins.

It was hard to go through the early 2000’s without hearing “X Gon’ Give It To Ya,” a song that found it’s debut as a soundtrack to the film Cradle 2 The Grave, blasting through football game speakers, and action sequences. This hit single, along with “Where The Hood At?” had made the 2003 studio album Grand Champ, his most successful.

Following a memorable feature in a fight scene from the 2016 movie Deadpool, X Gon’ Give It To Ya found a new resurgence. To date, it is his most successful single to date.

In addition to his music career, DMX had ventured into films, a video game, and some cameo appearances on popular shows. His movie career saw him starring alongside stars like Steven Seagal, and Jet Li.

Although his life was plagued with multiple incidents of drug use, arrests, prison terms, and financial issues, Simmons had taken steps to keep his faith alive whenever he could. According to him, he read his Bible everyday, became a transitional deacon, and sought to be an ordained minister. He had claimed he received this call in 2012.

A recent video of him preaching an encouraging sermon at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, went viral. In the sermon he made it a point to urge his audience to align their own desires to God’s will.

On another notable occasion, he led a prayer at one of Kanye West’s open air Sunday services in 2020. These were in-between scattered occasions of preaching sermons in churches, and public places, and offering prayer random meetings.

The announcement of his death was made by his family on the morning of April 9th, after spending the duration of his hospital stay, holding prayer vigils on his behalf. The same call for a vigil was also taken up by his fans in social media and elsewhere.

He is survived by 15 children.