Who is Arnett Simmons? DMX's mother who abused him as a child faces 'agonizing decision' over life support
As rapper DMX shows no improvement after being put on life support following his heart attack, his family and loved ones are spending this tough time together, hoping for a miracle. The rapper's manager and close friend Steve Rifkind told TMZ that DMX's condition has not changed, with zero betterment in brain function. Sources also told the outlet that DMX's fiancee Desiree Lindstrom has been joined by his mother, Arnet Simmons, his ex-wife Tashera Simmons and Yadira Borrego, who is also the mother of his child, as the family rallies around the hospitalized rapper.
Along with the rapper's 15 children, the entire family is together at his home and friends' homes in the area, not that far from the White Plains Hospital where the rapper is currently battling for his life after suffering an alleged overdose on Friday, April 2. The decision to take him off life support lies with Arnett. TMZ also reports that in the days to come, DMX's mother might be faced with an 'agonizing decision' as she has the final word on whether to take the rapper off life support. Her relationships with the other women in her son's life are all cordial as the rapper has ensured of that, reports TMZ. But growing up, DMX's relationship with Arnett wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
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Who is Arnett Simmons?
Arnett Simmons was just 19 when she gave birth to son Earl Simmons, who would later gain fame with the rap name DMX. Arnett already had a 2-year-old daughter, Bonita, when she had the rapper. Her third child was another daughter, Shayla, after whom she also gave birth to two more stillborn sons. Arnett shared DMX with Joe Barker, who was 18 at the time of their son's birth. He allegedly didn't want Arnett to keep the baby and cut off all ties with the family as soon as the child was born.
With a childhood marred by bronchial asthma, DMX once got hit by a drunk driver while crossing the streets. He sustained minor injuries and could have gained up to $10000 as compensation money, but Arnett refused to open a case at the time. She had claimed doing such a thing would clash with her faith. Yet her son's early childhood involved many cases of physical beatings from Arnett and it didn't stop at just that.
DMX's mother physically abused him
As revealed in DMX's autobiography 'E.A.R.L.', Arnett, as well as some of her boyfriends, would beat Earl so bad that he ended up losing teeth and sustaining several cuts and bruises all over his face. At just 14, DMX would wander the streets of Yonkers just to escape Arnett's abuse. He found comfort in befriending stray dogs and wandering the streets at night with them to avoid his mother's beatings. Shortly after Arnett found out about this, she sent him to a boys' group home where DMX would find his love for hip hop music. In fact, it was this very group home where he coined his stage name 'DMX' after playing an instrument with a similar name.
Although DMX seems to have found glory in his quest to escape his mother's abuse, in the years to come, the two reconciled with the rapper also professing 'I love my mama' in a 2019 interview. The road to recovery began in a 2012 TV appearance on the VH1 reality television show 'Couples Therapy' with Dr Jenn, where the rapper reunited with his mother after years of estrangement. The emotional installment saw the two begin to mend the once-broken relationship and seven years later, in a 2019 feature for GQ magazine, the rapper talked about loving her despite all that went wrong and having forgiven her too.
DMX and his mother's relationship
When asked about the subject of violence he sustained from her, DMX told the publication: "That doesn't mean I don't love her. That doesn't mean she's the same person. Children don't come with a f**king instruction manual. She was 20 when she had me. Four sisters; I'm the only boy. Maybe she didn't know what to do with me. I found out I just knew things that she didn't know when I was only six-years-old."