A medical examiner has confirmed the official cause of death of rapper DMX, revealing that he died from a heart attack brought on by “acute cocaine intoxication.”
DMX, born Earl Simmons, was hospitalised on April 2nd after following an apparent drug overdose and subsequent heart attack at his home in White Plains, New York. He died on April 9th at age 50 in Westchester County. New York.
An analysis of the rappers urine showed the presence of cocaine. The medical examiner’s office did not perform an autopsy, instead determining the cause of death based upon documentation from medical professionals and the police.
As Vuture report, a source explained that someone called for emergence help on April 2nd at 10:03 p.m. Paramedics arrived at the scene at 10:09 p.m. and began attempting to revive Simmons at 10:10 p.m. There was a reported 30-to-40-minute interval between the arrival of paramedics and DMX’s arrival at the hospital.
The report says that although the rappers heart was revived and there was a pulse, his brain was already dead. “His death literally happened immediately because the brain was dead,” the source says.
“So obviously, there were a number of days where he was on ventilatory support and so forth in the hospital,” the source said. “However, he was diagnosed brain-dead early on … He never woke up from [a] coma.”
After his passing, representatives for his family released a statement announcing, “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.”
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The statement continued, “Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever.”
Following the death, DMX’s longtime attorney Murray Richman, addressed a groundswell of unsubstantiated rumours that his death was related to the COVID-19 vaccine. “Persons who made that statement had no basis to formulate a belief,” Richman said. He confirmed that the rapper never had COVID nor did he receive the vaccine.
DMX’s eighth album, Exodus, was posthumously released in May.
