DMX’s ex-wife Tashera Simmons says his final words reassured her he wasn’t afraid to die

Artist died in April following a cardiac arrest

DMX’s ex-wife Tashera Simmons has said the late rapper used his last words to help her understand that he wasn’t afraid to die.

The artist, real name Earl Simmons, died on 9 April, having spent several days on life support at a New York hospital following a catastrophic cardiac arrest.

During an appearance on the People Every Day podcast, Simmons – who was married to DMX from 1999 to 2014 – said: “I am torn. Our children are suffering and trying to get to over that ‘not enough time with their dad’ thing; it’s a tough time.”

She added: “At the same time... I used to think that this was insensitive to say, but I do believe he is in a better place, just because of the words he left me with. He was never afraid of passing on. And I used to be aggravated with that, but now I understand.”

The podcast also featured some of the Grammy winner’s words from his final interview with TV One’s Uncensored.

“I didn’t know that it was filmed,” Simmons said. “When they called me, I didn’t realise that this was the last interview that he’d done. And the things that he talked about in it were so powerful to them, stories that he spoke about of myself and him that I didn’t even remember, really, until... They literally had to replay it.”

Together, Simmons and DMX had four children: sons Xavier, 28, Tacoma, 21 and Sean, 18, and daughter Praise, 16.

Over the course of his career, DMX sold millions of albums and became one of the most iconic stars of hardcore hip hop.

When news of his death broke, tributes poured in from fans and contemporaries, including Missy Elliot, Vince Staples, LeBron James, Pharrell Williams and Ava DuVernay.