Comatose DMX to Undergo Brain Function and Activity Tests: 'Waiting on Next Steps' Says Manager

DMX remains in a coma and on life support at a New York hospital five days after being admitted following a heart attack.

The rapper, 50, will undergo a series of tests Wednesday to determine how much brain function and activity he has, PEOPLE can confirm. These tests will dictate further decisions to be made by DMX's family.

"We are just waiting on the doctors to tell us what the next steps are," DMX's manager, Steve Rifkind, tells PEOPLE.

On Friday, DMX — whose real name is Earl Simmons — was hospitalized in grave condition after reportedly overdosing and suffering a heart attack at his home around 11 p.m. local time, DMX's attorney Murray Richman told NBC News on Saturday. 

The rapper was deprived of oxygen for nearly 30 minutes, with sources adding that he had "little brain activity" following the event, TMZ reported.

Upon being admitted to the ICU, DMX had to be resuscitated and was put on life support, Richman added.

On Monday, crowds of family members and fans of DMX attended a prayer vigil held by the Ruff Ryders to the Rescue Foundation outside of White Plains Hospital.

Over the weekend, the rapper's family said in a statement that DMX continues to face "serious health issues," and asked fans to keep him in "your thoughts, wishes, and prayers as well as respect our privacy as we face these challenges."

DMX is currently in a "vegetative state," another manager, Nakia Walker, told The New York Times on Sunday. "We're just praying," Walker said, noting that some of his family members have been allowed to visit him in the hospital.

Walker also told Buzzfeed News that DMX is "still in the same condition — in a vegetative state, [with] lung and brain failure and no brain activity."

"He is truly an amazing person. He walked into a room, he lit up the room. He couldn't help making you feel good in his presence," Richman said of his client of 25 years to the Times.

Richman acknowledged that his client has lived a "difficult life," adding, "He expressed the pain and suffering in a very unique way. He truly is reflective of a whole segment of our society whose pain and suffering go unrecorded."

The lawyer did not know what caused the heart attack, and he was unable to confirm TMZ's report about an alleged drug overdose.

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The star been open about his struggles with drug addiction in the past. He canceled a series of performances in 2017 to reenter a rehabilitation facility, according to Rolling Stone. "It is important right now that he take some time off to focus on his health so that he can be a better father, friend and entertainer," his manager Pat Gallo said in a statement at the time.

DMX had another stint in rehab in 2019, after he served a prison sentence for tax evasion.

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