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Who is Luenell? Comedian sparked ‘RIP DMX’ trend that led to death rumors: ‘When your spirit leaves and organs fail’

Comedian and friend of rapper DMX, Luenell's misleading post on Instagram has led to fans expressing their outrage over the misinformation

Rapper DMX is currently in a coma after suffering from a heart attack. Several outlets have reported on the 50-year-old's drug overdose and how various health issues led to minimal brain function. Amidst all the chaos surrounding updates regarding his current condition, a post by Luenell sparked massive fury, where she went on to post "RIP DMX".

Soon after, Steve Rifkind — the rapper's manager — posted a video on Instagram captioned: "DMX is still a life but he is on life support." He addressed the situation with specific regard to all the false rumors that are afloat. 
 
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"Everybody, please stop with posting these rumors,” he petitioned, adding "DMX is still alive. Yes, he is on life support, but please, it’s not helping anybody by having them see these false rumors. Let the family relax for a night." Now that the rumors have been quashed, here's a look at who is Luenell and how her viral post led to chaos.

Who is Luenell?

Born on March 12, 1959, the comedian and actress was raised in Northern California as the youngest of eight children. Her birth name was Luenell Campbell but she solely goes by the name Luenell.

She's been active in the entertainment scene since the early '90s, having been a part of KSBT's 'Soul Beat TV'. The 62-year-old has worked on a range of movies, such as 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan', 'Think Like A Man', 'Hotel Transylvania' and 'Taken 2', among others.

 
 She has also been a part of various TV shows, making appearances in the likes of 'The Middle', 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' and Snoop Dog's 'Bad Girls of Comedy'. In 2019, she was the first resident performer at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas. 

In an interview with Hollywood Soap Box, the comedian spoke about how she approaches her routines. "I definitely didn’t go to college and grow up with a plan to be a standup comedian at all. … When I’m on stage, it’s like I’m in a room full of my friends," she explained.

"Of course, it’s methodical what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say it, when you’re going to say it, whether you’re going to whisper it, or whether you’re going to scream it. All of that is going through your mind as well because there are mechanics to this, but the beauty of it is that it looks so easy," she added.

But there is a lot that goes into a stand-up routine and Luenell maintains that she puts in the hard work. She explained, "But actually it’s a well-orchestrated sonata that I’m doing, but I’m also at ease because I like live performance. And so I really do very much feel like I’m in a room full of friends, and we’re just kidding around." 

How did Luenell's post go viral?

Known for a variety of roles, Luenell became the talking point on social media after a heartbreaking post on rapper DMX's death went viral. Soon after she shared a misleading post, news outlets began reporting that the rapper was no more. Her Instagram story read: "It's over. My friend is gone. Join w/the (emoji) Join the best that ever did it RIP...DMX."

Shortly after posting the story, reports confirmed that the rapper was still alive, with Rifkind's video adding credibility to the same.

 
Luenell proceeded to take down the story and posted another one, where she explained what she meant: "When your spirit leaves and your organs fail you, the body becomes just a shell. One becomes wrapped in the Lord's arms. That's what "I" call gone. I'm sorry to all. #DMX," the follow-up story read. 

'Why would Luenell post that?'

Fans and supporters of the rapper took to Twitter to call out the comedian for her posts and the confusion it caused. "Yikes. So Luenell posted and deleted a IG story that DMX died and it appears outlets rolled with it," tweeted a user. "People are so thirsty to want to report the news that y’all would take the word from Luenell’s IG page that DMX passed away instead of waiting on word from his actual family...." added another.

"Luenell needs to crawl back under the rock she came from cause that was so disrespectful," chimed one user. "Why would Luenell post that? Imagine if that man recovers and finds out his friend made up that he died? Cuz she got a version of death in her mind that ain’t dead? Like...what????" asked an exasperated user. "Luenell and several other celebs have since removed their posts regarding #DMX I'm so over these celebs who have this weird obsession of wanting to be the first person to report a person's death," added another.

 
Outlets like Saint, who previously posted about the rapper's death, apologized about the same via Twitter. "We have deleted the tweet out of respect for DMX and his loved ones. A close friend of DMX posted this on her Instagram story, has since been taken down. We apologize for any confusion. Prayers still going out to him and his family," tweeted the official handle.

The comedian happens to be quite active on Instagram, where she often puts up several posts with her near and dear ones.