DMX Public Memorial Details Released

Following his death at the age of 50, family, friends and fans will have the opportunity to pay their respects to DMX. The late rapper, legal name Earl Simmons, died on April 9 following a week-long hospitalization. Now, a public memorial is set to be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Saturday, April 24.

The musician’s longtime manager and friend Steve Rifkind confirmed to Deadline that plans for a memorial are currently in place. Set to be held two weeks after his death, the memorial will be a public event that will be attended by the rapper’s family and friends as well as fans, though it is unclear how many people will be able to attend the ceremony due to coronavirus guidelines. Entertainment Tonight reports that the Barclays Center typically has a capacity of 19,000, though COVID restrictions will limit attendance. Further details, including the time of the memorial as well as ticketing, are still being determined, Rifkind said. A day after the public event, DMX’s family and friends will attend a private funeral service at a church in New York City.

The news comes after the rapper’s family warned fans not to fall for funeral fundraiser scams, which have arisen in the days following his passing. The family told TMZ there are several false rumors about the rapper and his family going around, including one claiming that the family is raising money to pay for his funeral. The family confirmed to the outlet that these are all fake and the family is not raising money, as they do not need to raise funds to pay for his funeral. They also warned that any DMX merchandise being sold, such as T-shirts, is not family-approved.

Born in Mount Vernon, New York in 1970, DMX began his rapping career in the early ’90s, releasing his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998. In the decades that followed, the rapper was nominated for multiple Grammy awards, including for the single “Party Up (Up In Here),” and his bestselling album, 1999’s And Then There Was X, went platinum five times.

On April 2, he was rushed to a hospital in White Plaines, New York after suffering a heart attack, where he remained on life support until passing on April 9. In a statement confirming his death, his family remembered him as “a warrior who fought till the very end” and said his “music inspired countless fans across the world and his iconic legacy will live on forever.” Amid his hospitalization, family and fans gathered for a vigil on April 5. It is believed that some 500 people attended the vigil, with those in attendance playing DMX’s music and holding signs with messages of support.