DMX official cause of death revealed as a cocaine-induced heart attack that left his ‘brain dead’, report says
DMX's official cause of death has been revealed as a cocaine-induced heart attack that left his "brain dead," according to a Vulture report.
The Harlem native, known for a series of chart-topping hip hop anthems, suffered a drug overdose at his home at around 11pm on April 2 and was rushed to hospital.
The source went on to explain that it was acute cocaine intoxication that "caused this chain of events" that was traced in the artist's urine.
An autopsy was not performed, according to the source, as a cause of death had already been determined based on documentation by medical professionals and police.
The source said that someone called for emergency help at 10.03pm on the date of the rapper's death, and medical personnel arrived on the scene just six minutes later.
Family described him as a "warrior who fought till the very end" adding that he "loved his family with all of his heart."
"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," the statement read.
DMX's reported cause of death was disclosed as:
Luckily, a medic on hand administered Narcan, an anti-opioid used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, according to police.
The rapper became “semiconscious” and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received treatment.
And in 2018, he was jailed for one year for failing to pay tax on income earned from 2002 to 2005, and from 2010 to 2015.
On top of the prison sentence, he was ordered to pay back $2.29m back to the US government.
DMX was often hailed as one of NY's most prolific rap artists.
He first appeared on the LL Cool J hit "4, 3, 2, 1" in 1998 and got his first taste of Top 40 airplay as part of the LOX's "Money, Respect".
His 1998 debut album, "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot", debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 101 weeks.
DMX's career continued to be prolific, with his best-selling album," … And Then There Was X", cementing his place as a shining light of hip hop music upon release in 1999.
He went on to release seven studio albums throughout the course of his career.
X has also successfully ventured into film, featuring in movies such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave and Last Hour.
And In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man.
In August 2020, X announced he was working on his first album since 2015's "Redemption of the Beast" LP.
As news began to break Saturday of his hospital admission, high profile stars sent their well wishes to the Harlem-born rapper.
Information of X's condition first started to circulate when famed NY rapper Eric B shared an image of himself and DMX.
He captioned the image: “Please pray for my brother DMX,” along with the hashtag #DMXhospitalized.
Rick Ross was among the first to break the news.
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Sharing on Instagram story, Ross wrote: ‘Prayers up for DMX the legend, let’s put that in the sky.
Ja Rule, who was in rap group Murder Inc. with DMX and Jay-Z, was one of the first to send X well wishes, tweeting: "Prayers up for my brother DMX,” he wrote on Twitter.