DMX, rapper and actor, dies at 50

DMX, a rapper known as much for his troubles as his music, has died, his family announced in a statement. He was 50. “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,“ family’s statement read in part. The artist had been hospitalized since last week when he suffered a heart attack at his home in New York, according to his longtime attorney, Murray Richman. DMX (Dark Man X) began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album, “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,“ in 1998. With the deaths of fellow rappers The Notorious . and Tupac Shakur before he burst on the scene, DMX became one of the reigning stars of hardcore hip hop and was the premier artist signed to the Ruffhouse Records label. His single, “Ruff Ryders Anthem,“ helped to seal his critical and commercial success.