Earl Simmons, better known as Grammy-nominated rapper and musician DMX, died today, following a heart attack at his home last week. He was 50-years-old.

On April 2nd, Simmons had a heart attack at his home in New York as the result of an overdose. He was rushed to the hospital shortly after, where he remained in a "vegetative state" with "some brain activity" until this morning. False reports of the rapper's death soon followed. Though they were untrue until now, DMX's lawyer, Murray Richman told Rolling Stone on Saturday that "it would be disingenuous of me to suggest that I am not a worried man."

DMX skyrocketed to fame in 1998 with the release of his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot. The album sold more than 251,000 albums in its first week, and would later go on to sell more than four million. His follow-up albums, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood …And Then There Was X, would see similar success, debuting at number one. Flesh of My Flesh's number one debut made DMX the first rapper in history to release two number one albums in the same year under the same name.

The 2000s saw Simmons launch a successful movie career, appearing in such hits as Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and Cradle 2 the Crave.

However, the 2000s also continued legal troubles for the rapper. Police arrested the rapper numerous times throughout the decade on drug offenses, animal cruelty and drunk driving. In the last two years, he was charged with 14 counts of tax fraud and spent nearly two years in and out of jail.

Despite his troubles, DMX remained immensely popular around the world. DMX was nominated for three Grammys and won two American Music Awards. His eight studio albums, five compilations and dozens of singles sold more than 23 million albums, making him one of the best-selling rappers of all time.