DMX’s family to hold prayer vigil outside New York hospital

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN – A prayer vigil was planned for Monday outside the New York hospital where the rapper DMX remained on life support following a heart attack.

The family of the rapper said on Sunday the vigil would be held outside White Plains hospital at 5pm.

“On Friday night … our brother, son, father, and colleague DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, was admitted to White Plains hospital, facing serious health issues,” the family said through a publicist.

“We ask that you please keep Earl/DMX and us in your thoughts, wishes, and prayers, as well as respect our privacy as we face these challenges.”

Simmons, 50, was admitted to intensive care in White Plains, 10 miles north of New York City, after going into cardiac arrest, according to his lawyer, Murray Richman.

The family said he remained in a coma and was on a ventilator. Nakia Walker, Simmons’ former manager, told BuzzFeed the rapper was in a “vegetative state” with “lung and brain failure”.

Richman said he could not confirm reports that Simmons, 50, overdosed on drugs, and said he was not sure what caused the heart attack.

Simmons was one of America’s most successful rappers of the late 1990s, but has battled with substance abuse. In 2019, he canceled a series of shows to check himself into a rehabilitation facility.

Simmons made his breakthrough in 1998 with his first studio album, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, which debuted at No1 on the Billboard 200. The multiplatinum selling album was anchored by several hits including Ruff Ryders’ Anthem, Get at Me Dog and Stop Being Greedy.

The rapper had four other chart-topping albums: … And Then There Was X, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, The Great Depression and Grand Champ. He has released seven albums and earned three Grammy nominations.

Simmons also branched into acting, appearing in the 1998 film Belly and Romeo Must Die with Jet Li and the late singer Aaliyah.

In July 2020 Simmons faced off against Snoop Dogg in a rap battle on the Verzuz online platform which drew more than 500,000 viewers.