Earlier in the day, American rapper DMX was confirmed dead.
In a statement addressed to members of the public, DMX’s family disclosed that the renowned lyricist passed away at the age of 50 after a heart attack.
The statement from the family read: “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.
“Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end,” the family continued. “He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him.”
While tributes are still pouring in for DMX, eelive.ng presents below some interesting things about the late music star:
He described himself as a violent youth
Born Earl Simmons, DMX was a violent youth, according to his autobiography. Escaping an abusive home, he lived on the street and in group homes. The moniker “DMX” is short for his full stage name, “Dark Man X.”
He’s had his share of legal problems
Even after making a name for himself, the rapper has been in and out of court. In 1998, DMX’s manager was shot in the foot in New Jersey and, after a police raid of his New Jersey home, the rapper was hit with animal cruelty, weapons, and drug possession charges. Then, in 2013, he was pulled over in Los Angeles and ended up getting arrested after police found marijuana in his possession. That was his third arrest that year, according to the LA Times. He was also in Westchester bankruptcy court that year, listing a Mount Kisco address. The bankruptcy filing was rejected and, in 2014, the house went into foreclosure, and DMX blamed his then-wife, Tashera Simmons.
He once did naked laps inside a hotel
Also in 2013, celebrity news site TMZ posted surveillance camera video of DMX stark naked running laps inside a hotel. Although, he was not arrested for it.
He does not always rap so seriously
DMX’s sophomore album, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood debuted at the top spot on hip hop charts, as did his two successive albums. He once covered the theme song of the 1980s television show –Reading Rainbow, and rapped Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer during a visit to a radio station.
He admired being a pastor
Though he told Bulgarian news platform –359HipHop that he’s “spiritual” as opposed to religious, DMX also said he wants to lead a congregation. “I will not be a priest. I will be a pastor. I’m already a deacon. I will be a pastor,” he said.
In 2012, DMX said during an interview — conducted while in prison — that he hoped to soon give his first sermon in a church setting. “That’s gonna be like incredible for me and I hope it’ll be incredible for the congregation of that church,” he said. “I hope I’m able to reach somebody you know and touch somebody and bring them closer to the Lord.”
He had also stated that he would like to release a gospel album.