In a statement provided to People, Simmons' family said "We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50 years old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days".

DMX was hospitalized April 2nd in grave condition after being deprived of oxygen for nearly 30 minutes due to the cardiac arrest. It was later reported that Simmons was in a vegetative state, and on life support.

He is survived by his children.

Remembering a Legend

Simmons was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and came up in the rap scene alongside other iconic artists like Jay Z and Ja Rule. He hit his commercial peak from the late 90s to the mid 2000s, with hits like X Gon Give it to Ya and Party Up selling millions of copies and putting him at the forefront of hip hops breakthrough into mainstream music.

He also had a fairly successful acting career, appearing in films such as Romeo Must Die and Belly. His most recent project was as Detective Ray Munce alongside Steven Seagal in the 2019 action flick Beyond the Law.

His contribution to hip hop and American culture at large is something that can be felt by every single American today, whether they've heard his music or not. He was an invaluable presence to the hip hop community and will be missed.