US rapper DMX dies aged 50 following heart attack

Multi-platinum rapper, celebrated for raw storytelling, was first artist to top US charts with first five albums

• DMX obituary
• DMX: A life in pictures

DMX, the New York rapper whose gruff tone electrified the US music scene in the late 1990s, has died aged 50.

The star, whose real name was Earl Simmons, was hospitalised after a heart attack on 2 April, and had been placed in a critical care unit at White Plains hospital, New York. His family had organised a prayer vigil outside, which took place on Monday.