The rapper was honored at a celebration of life memorial on Saturday, where friends and family members opened up about his legacy.
DMX's family is honoring the life and legacy of the beloved rapper.
On Saturday, the rapper's family members came together for a private Celebration of Life in New York City. The memorial was restricted to family and close friends due to New York State's COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, which limits indoor arenas to 10 percent capacity. Fans were invited to watch the event on DMX's YouTube channel.
The celebration of life began with a family video of DMX with his daughter on a carnival ride. In the video, DMX could be heard repeatedly telling his daughter "Daddy's here." This was followed by DMX's "Prayer" and a selection from Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir.
The rapper's 15 children and their mother's, including fiancée, Desiree Lindstrom and ex-wife Tashera Simmons, then took the stage to pay tribute to DMX, whose real name was Earl Simmons, by sharing some sentimental words and more.
"Everything he did, he did for you all," said one of his family members. "He always wanted to please you, he always wanted to give his best show. We are now the ones who are hurting…He changed your lives through his music."
She added that DMX's wish "was to have all his children together, all of the mothers on one accord. So today we celebrate, today, long live Earl Simmons."
A handful of his children also took the mic, with one of his daughters rapping a song she wrote that was reminiscent of her father's song "Slippin'".
The GRAMMY-nominated artist died at age 50 on April 9, days after he was rushed to the hospital following a heart attack. A source close to the "X Gon' Give It to Ya" rapper told ET that after his hospitalization, medical staff "tried to revive him twice in the house, and revived him again in the hospital."
The Ruff Ryders MC previously battled drug addiction and had stints in rehab. Back in October of 2019, he canceled his tour and checked himself into rehab to maintain his sobriety.
Prior to the service, DMX took his last ride through New York as his red coffin was driven from where he grew up in Yonkers, New York, to Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
A private funeral for DMX will be held at a New York City church on Sunday. The homegoing celebration will be held at 2:30 pm ET and broadcast live on BET and DMX's YouTube channel.
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