Friends and family of DMX gathered this weekend to say goodbye to the rap legend. On Saturday (April 24th), X was honored at a Celebration of Life public memorial at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. DMX's casket was taken to Brooklyn from his hometown of Yonkers a top of a monster truck with the words “Long Live DMX” painted on the side.
Several celebrities were in attendance, including Kanye West, Nas, Eve, Swizz Beatz and more. Kanye's Sunday Service choir kicked off the memorial with several songs before DMX’s family, including his fiancé Desiree Lindstrom and his children appeared on the stage.
One of DMX’s older sons read a eulogy while fighting back tears, and one of his young daughters performed a rap she wrote for the occasion. Another young son read a poem remembering DMX as “the best father anybody could ask for.”
Nas said a couple of words about DMX. He told the crowd, “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. We stood outside the Tunnel Night Club about to shoot a scene, and he looked at me, and tears in his eyes, because he knew about the journey he was about to embark on in becoming a hip-hop icon.”
Eve also spoke on X, saying, “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, our ancestors, that his journey was smooth. I know that he will rest in power. Rest in love, but most of all he feel rest in peace.”
Swizz Beatz said, “I just wish all these people showed up for him when he was here. You got thousands of people claiming who they are and tickets and things like that. This man needed everybody. He didn’t need everybody when he’s not here, he needed everybody when he was here. We have to learn to celebrate each other while we’re here.”
DMX'S PRIVATE FUNERAL SERVICE
Then on Sunday (April 25th), X's friends and family gathered to honor him in Brooklyn at a private funeral service at Christian Cultural Center in Brookyn, New York. During the service, one of his daughter's Sasha spoke, telling the crowd that she finds it difficult to believe that her dad won't be around to see her graduate college or walk down the aisle, but she finds peace knowing that he is no longer in pain.
In addition to his children, The Ruff Ryders, Minister Louis Farrakhan, former Def Jam execs Lyor Cohen, Russell Simmons and Kevin Lyles and his ex-wife Tashera Simmons shared remarks about X. Tashera also introduced DMX's fiance Desiree Lindstrom, whom she called a real woman who loved X. Faith Evans also performed virtually during the service.
There was a slight disturbance at the end of the funeral when a man named Jungle who said he toured with X in recent years, came on stage to say a few words about X, but Pastor A.R. Bernard interrupted Jungle and he left the stage.
DMX died on April 9th after suffering a heart attack. He was 50-years-old.