American rapper and actor Earl Simmons, known by the stage name DMX or Dark Man X, died on Friday, People magazine said, after suffering a heart attack during what media reports said was a drug overdose.

"We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50 years old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days," his family wrote in a statement quoted by the magazine.

DMX collapsed at home, his family had said, and was taken to a New York hospital where his former manager said he had been placed on life support with no brain activity.

Celebrity publications TMZ and Billboard said he overdosed on drugs triggering a heart attack.

When he was 14, an older rapper who had been a mentor tricked him into smoking crack, DMX said in a documentary series broadcast on BET.

"He created a monster," he said.

It's beyond a high that any drug could duplicate," he said.

The rap star’s prior arrest record included charges of animal cruelty, reckless driving, drug possession, weapons charges and probation violations