DMX passed away in April 2021 following a heart attack that was suspected to be the
result of a drug overdose. But the rapper faced a life of hardship beyond his drug use.
Here are some of the tragic details about DMX.
Shortly after TMZ broke the news that DMX was rushed to White Plains Hospital in Westchester,
New York, fans learned he was in the critical care unit after paramedics tried to resuscitate
him for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, he was deprived of oxygen during that time and doctors
informed his family that the lack of oxygen severely impacted his brain.
One source told the outlet he was in a "vegetative state" as doctors prepare his family for the
worst. Despite the dire prognosis, the rapper's rep told TMZ at the time,
"Earl has been a warrior his entire life. This situation represents yet another road
he must conquer."
Prior to his passing, multiple media outlets falsely reported that DMX had already died.
The Daily Star reported that "RIP DMX" began trending on Twitter after the rapper's comedian
friend, Luenell, mistakenly posted on her Instagram Stories that he had passed away.
Sadly, on April 9th, DMX's official death was confirmed, and his team said in a statement,
"He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him."
Drug abuse has been a theme throughout DMX's life since he was given a laced blunt at the
age of 14, as he revealed on People's Party in November 2020. He was previously hospitalized
for a near-fatal drug overdose in 2016. According to Page Six, the rapper had no pulse and had
stopped breathing in a parking lot outside of a hotel in Westchester, New York. He was
given Narcan to, quote, "reverse the effects of a heroin overdose [and he became] semiconscious"
before receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
It appeared he was committed to his sobriety after he paused his 20th-anniversary tour
to check into rehab in October 2019. An instagram announcement read at the time,
"In his ongoing commitment to putting family and sobriety first, DMX has checked himself
into a rehab facility. He apologizes for his canceled shows and thanks his fans for their
continued support."
"I will always have a drug problem."
The story of DMX's introduction to drugs at age 14 is worse than you might realize. During
an interview with People's Party, DMX revealed,
"I didn't smoke cigarettes, I didn't smoke weed. I didn't do anything. [...] [We] do
a robbery one night [...] He came back with a blunt rolled up. [...] I hit the blunt.
[...] I never felt like this, it f---ed me up. I later found out that he laced the blunt
with crack."
Understandably, the rapper got visibly emotional during the interview as he opened up about
the painful memory. Even more heartbreaking was the fact that DMX was given the blunt
by a mentor who was 30 years old at the time, while the rapper was just a teenager. DMX
went on to say,
"He was like 30. And he knew I looked up to him. Why would you do that to somebody who
looks up to you?"
DMX previously revealed he got clean as a way to, quote, "deal with the things that
hurt [him]," as he explained on People's Party. He admitted he was once reluctant to speak
out about his struggles with addiction, saying he saw it as a "sign of weakness." Still,
he realized sharing his story is, in his words, "one of the bravest things you can do."
After his 2016 overdose, he said during a 2017 interview with HipHopDX that he wasn't
using hard drugs anymore. He explained at the time,
"I think we kinda knew that was the problem. [...] Of course, it was the problem. I got
in trouble and all that s---. It's not worth it. I spent too much time doing things. It's
just not worth it."
More recently, he seemed to be optimistic for the future as he teased his upcoming album
in February 2021 on the Drink Champs podcast. He said a bunch of famous faces were set to
make an appearance, including Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, and U2's Bono.
Outside of DMX's struggles with drug abuse, the rapper had a complicated relationship
with the law as well. In a 2019 interview with GQ, DMX revealed he was incarcerated
at least 30 times for a variety of crimes such as resisting arrest, reckless driving,
driving without a license, animal cruelty, drug possession, disorderly conduct, possession
of a weapon, tax evasion, and failure to pay child support.
He's also had several financial issues — at the time of his passing, DMX was even said
to have an estimated net worth of negative $1 million. Those finance troubles led to
his most recent conviction in 2018 after he was charged with 14 counts of tax fraud and
sentenced to one year in prison. He was released from prison in January 2019.
During his last stint in prison, he spent 90 days in solitary confinement. He told GQ,
"If you don't got a strong mind, it'll f--- you up. I didn't get out of my cell at all."
"I thank god for my problems as much as I thank him for my blessings because they're
equally relevant to my life."
As well as being introduced to hard drugs at a young age, DMX also experienced abuse
at home. During his 2019 profile with GQ, DMX opened up about his relationship with
his mother and explained,
"I found out I just knew things that she didn't know when I was only six years old. I would
get up at night sometimes to drink water because I was so hungry. And I saw something in her
notebook that was open on the kitchen table. And it was wrong, so I erased it. I thought
I was helping."
However, according to DMX, his decision to erase her notes didn't go down well. He went
on to say,
"I don't know if she thought I was trying to sabotage her or whatever. I don't know
what she thought. But she beat two teeth out of my f---ing mouth with a broom. And I think
about this today, I'm like, 'Okay, you saw me erase something in your notebook. What
did you think I was trying to do? What could you have possibly thought I was trying to
do?'"
However, the rapper also defended his mom during the interview and said,
"That doesn't mean I don't love her. That doesn't mean she's the same person."
It seems like the rapper found forgiveness for his mother later in life.
As a teenager, DMX spent some time in children's homes. His All Music biography states:
"A troubled and abusive childhood turned him violent, and he spent a great deal of time
living in group homes and surviving on the streets via robbery, which led to several
run-ins with the law."
Following his success as a rapper, DMX later returned to visit one of the homes in Dobbs
Ferry, New York, where he met with residents. Despite leaving the home he shared with his
mother where he allegedly faced abuse as a child, it appears DMX still didn't have an
easy childhood at all.
During his court case for tax evasion in 2018, DMX's attorney told NBC News,
"His life experiences were horrible. I've heard terrible tales, but I've never heard
such horrible upbringing as this."
Meanwhile, Okayplayer reported,
"A teenage DMX would wander the streets of Baltimore (and later New York City), befriending
dogs and taking part in everything from robberies to drug dealing in order to make a living.
X felt a particularly strong affinity with stray dogs; animals cruelly forgotten by society,
which must persevere in order to survive."
As a father of 15, DMX had a large family, and all of his children reportedly visited
him in the hospital. The New York Post reported on April 6th that DMX was "surrounded by many
of his children."
Understandably, DMX's kids wanted to be at their father's side while he remained in critical
condition. However, COVID-19 protocols at the hospital limit how many people are allowed
to be there — and only one child could visit at a time.
DMX often spoke of his large brood in interviews. Speaking to GQ in 2019, he discussed the Exodus
tattoo on his neck and said,
"[The verse] says, 'Be fruitful and multiply and your children will inherit the world.'"
The verse was particularly important to the rapper as he named his youngest son Exodus,
and revealed,
"It's new beginnings. Exodus speaks to beginnings. He was a new beginning."
The youngest of DMX's children is five years old as of early 2021. DMX shared his son Exodus
with his fiancee, Desiree Lindstrom, and the trio regularly appeared in Instagram videos
together prior to the rapper's hospitalization.
On March 31th, days before he was admitted to hospital, Lindstrom shared a sweet video
of DMX dancing and lip-synching in the car, and called her fiance "too funny." The month
before, Lindstrom shared a sweet snap taken with her man, which she simply captioned by
telling her fiance she loved him.
It seems that DMX had a happy family life prior to his heart attack, and Lindstrom remained
at the rapper's side throughout his hospitalization.
While the happy memories shared on social media will likely comfort fans in the wake
of the rapper's tragic death, they will also undoubtedly serve as a reminder of how this
talented, caring man left the world far too soon.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please
contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).