Thursday night, Twitter erupted in a frenzy of condolences for Earl Simmons, the ailing artist popularly known as DMX, who is hospitalized and in grave condition for almost a week.
Though it is not the first time social media has ran with fake news around a celebrity’s death, this time around feels eerie, it hits harder due to the artist’s current health status and grave condition. The alarming tweets that
read, “Damn DMX,” and “RIP DMX” and “Rest in peace DMX” followed one after the other, and prematurely eulogized the “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood” rapper.Counter tweets questioned the validity of the rumors and wanted to know about credible sources. Many tweeters threw shade at Twitter users who reacted without positively confirming the news.
The uproar prompted Steve Rifkind, Simmons’s longtime friend and manager to release a
video statement asking people to refrain from posting “rumors” about the death of DMX, and that such sentiment was “not helping anybody by seeing these false rumors.” Rifkind confirmed that DMX is indeed alive and remains on life support and that the family would give a statement on Friday.Over the past week, many fans and celebrities
have expressed sorrow, thoughts and prayer for Simmons in the wake of the unexpected tragedy. Some showed up at White Plains hospital, where X is being treated, to pay homage and hold vigil.DMX has been hospitalized since April 2, following a reported heart attack, allegedly triggered by a drug overdose, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported. The rapper is said to be on life support in a “vegetative state,” according to the New York Times. It was reported by TMZ that X has unimproved brain function, and that the hitmaker’s mother Arnett Simmons is faced with the difficult choice to continue
or discontinue life support.