DMX battled drug addiction throughout his life. Photo / Getty Images

Rap legend DMX died from a cocaine-induced heart attack, officials have revealed.

The rapper, real name Earl Simmons, died on April 9 aged 50 after a week on life support in a New York hospital.

A source from the Westchester County Medical Examiner's office told the US entertainment site Vulture that he "never woke up" after the heart attack off the blood supply to his brain.

"It was cardiac arrest for a period of time, so there was no circulation to the brain," the source said, adding that the cardiac arrest was caused by acute cocaine intoxication.

"His death literally happened immediately because the brain was dead. So obviously, there were a number of days where he was on ventilatory support and so forth in the hospital . . . However, he was diagnosed brain-dead early on . . . He never woke up from [a] coma."

During his time at White Plans Hospital in Westchester, fans surrounded the building and held prayer vigils.

After his death, his family's released a statement saying that DMX died with relatives by his side after several days on life support.

"Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart, and we cherish the times we spent with him," the family said, adding that his music "inspired countless fans across the world".

DMX — who rapped with a trademark raspy delivery that was often paired with growls, barks and "What!" as an ad-lib — built a multiplatinum career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but he also struggled with drug addiction and legal problems that repeatedly put him behind bars.

- Additional reporting, AP

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