DMX'S ex-wife Tashera Simmons, left, and his fianc Desiree Lindstrom embrace during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Motorcylcist ride past the White Plains Hospital after a prayer vigil for rapper DMX, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Fans hold up "DMX" balloons during a prayer vigil for DMX outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)DMX'S ex-wife, Tashera Simmons, left, and his fianc Desiree Lindstrom embrace during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2009, file photo, DMX arrives at the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, in New York. DMX's longtime New York-based lawyer, Murray Richman, said the rapper was on life support Saturday, April 3, 2021 at White Plains Hospital. "He had a heart attack. He's quite ill," Richman said. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)One of Dmx's sons, center, is joined by friends and family members during a prayer vigil for the rapper outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)A friend makes an X gesture during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)DMX'S ex-wife, Tashera Simmons, left, and his fianc Desiree Lindstrom, second from left, are joined by family and friends as they pray during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Fans hold up "DMX" balloons during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Fans show support for DMX during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)A motorcyclist revs up his engine after a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
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DMX'S ex-wife Tashera Simmons, left, and his fianc Desiree Lindstrom embrace during a prayer vigil outside of White Plains Hospital, Monday, April 5, 2021, in White Plains, N.Y. Supporters and family of the rapper DMX have chanted his name and offered up prayers outside the hospital where he remains on life support. The 50-year-old was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Supporters and family of the rapper DMX chanted his name and offered up prayers Monday outside the New York hospital where he remained on life support.
The crowd outside White Plains Hospital called “DMX! DMX!" and when urged to by the main speaker, crossed their arms in the shape of an X. A woman's sobs reverberated as those in the audience heard a recording of the rapper, whose birth name is Earl Simmons.
Simmons’ longtime lawyer, Murray Richman, said Sunday that the rapper was admitted to the intensive care unit but he was not sure what caused the heart attack.
DMX made his rap debut in 1998, and has released seven albums in a career that has included three Grammy nominations. He also acted in several movies.
But substance abuse has been a struggle for him over the years, including in 2019 when he canceled shows to go to a rehabilitation facility.
Nevertheless, he retained his standing among fans. An online face-off last year with fellow rapper Snoop Dogg as part of the Verzuz series brought more than 500,000 viewers.
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