Family, friends and fans of rapper DMX have said prayers for the star at a vigil held outside the hospital where he is being treated after reportedly suffering a heart attack.

A crowd gathered outside the White Plains Hospital in New York to show their support for the rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, on Monday evening.

The 50-year-old was admitted to intensive care on Friday and was initially placed on life support, according to US media reports.

Among those at the vigil were his ex-wife Tashera Simmons and fiancee Desiree Lindstrom, who were seen hugging each other at the gathering. Fans chanted “DMX! DMX!” and the crowd was played a recording of the rapper during the event.

Reports have varied as to whether the rapper is still on life support, as well as the nature of his health issues. The star’s lawyer, Murray Richman, said he had suffered a heart attack but he was not sure what had caused it.

Earlier, when asked if he could confirm a report by US entertainment site TMZ that DMX had had an apparent overdose, Mr Richman replied: “I refuse to vouch for that because I have no personal knowledge.”

A hospital spokeswoman declined to release the rapper’s condition or confirm to the Reuters news agency that he is a patient.

Stars including Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg and Viola Davis were among those posting messages of support online when the news broke on Friday.

DMX was signed by Columbia Records in 1992 and released his first album, It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot, in 1998. He has released seven albums and received three Grammy nominations throughout his career, and collaborated with artists including Jay-Z, Ja Rule and LL Cool J.

He has also acted in several films, including Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds and Cradle 2 The Grave.

In his personal life, he has publicly battled with substance abuse and attended rehab several times over the years.

In 2019, the rapper cancelled a series of shows to check himself into rehab for substance abuse after serving a year-long jail sentence for tax fraud and evasion earlier that year.

But he always retained his standing among fans, bringing in more than 500,000 viewers with an online face-off with Snoop Dogg in 2020.

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