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DMX Public Memorial Service Featured Tributes From Kayne West, Eve and More

Celebrities and fans alike met at the Barclay Center Saturday to say goodbye to DMX, the prolific rapper who died earlier this month.

DMX, real name Earl Simmons, died on April 9 after suffering a heart attack at his home on April 2. TMZ reported a drug overdose caused the heart attack that left his brain without oxygen for 30 minutes before he was resuscitated. He was only 50 years old but had been a major figure in the rap community since the late 1990s.

“Our father is a king, our father is an icon,” Xavier Simmons said, according to PopCulture.com. “I am so honored to have a father like we have.” “This man deepened my ability to love. … I cried so much tears of joy, so much. Every time, every lesson he ever taught me: Always say thank you. No matter where you go, a blessing is everywhere. Be kind to everyone.”

The family held a private funeral for DMX following the memorial service.

Fellow Musicians Pay Their Respects to DMX

Along with family and fans, there was a long line of rappers and musicians waiting to say goodbye to the icon. One was fellow New York rapper Nas. They starred together in the film Belly and became quick friends.

“As a longtime friend, it’s an honor to be here tonight. At the same time, it’s a sad day. … I just want to say I’m honored to be here. That’s my brother,” Nas said. “We did a great movie together, and on that movie, he was just rising up as a star. His first album didn’t even come out yet. But he knew his journey was starting. …”

DMX was a member of the Ruff Ryder crew, a collective of rappers and hip-hop artists that were one of the most dominant groups in the genre then. Eve, who also went on to find success in TV and film, said she felt lucky to join the group and work with him.

“The celebration of how great we all know DMX was what he has left behind,” she said. “I am seriously the luckiest, luckiest woman in the world to have been adopted by the Ruff Ryders but to have known DMX the way that I knew him as a man, a father, a friend. This is so hard, y’all.”

“What I pray. What I hope. I pray to God, I pray to our angels, I pray to our ancestors that his journey was smooth,” Eve said in summation. “I know that he will rest in power, rest in love but most of all he will rest in peace.”