The DMX estate is still open in 2026, more than five years after Earl “DMX” Simmons died on April 9, 2021, at the age of 50. He left no will, a long list of reported debts and a family that court filings and news reports put at 15 children. What he also left was a catalogue of songs that still earns money every time someone plays “Party Up” or “X Gon’ Give It to Ya.”
Today the estate is run by two co-administrators, his daughter Sasha Simmons and his former fiancée Desiree Lindstrom. It has won a major court fight over his music rights, signed licensing and merchandise partners, and released a second posthumous album. Here is how the money, the debts and the court case fit together.
DMX Estate Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Earl Simmons |
| Born | December 18, 1970, Mount Vernon, New York |
| Died | April 9, 2021, White Plains, New York |
| Age at death | 50 |
| Children | 15, from nine different women (as reported) |
| Will | None (died intestate) |
| Court | Westchester County Surrogate’s Court, New York |
| Current co-administrators | Sasha Simmons and Desiree Lindstrom |
| Estimated net worth at death | Negative $1 million (Celebrity Net Worth) |
The personal details above come from his Wikipedia biography, which lists 15 children with nine women. The net worth figure is the estimate published by Celebrity Net Worth, which says he was about $1 million in the red when he died.
DMX Estate Timeline: 2021 to 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 9, 2021 | DMX dies at 50 in White Plains after a heart attack, with no will. |
| May 10, 2021 | Daughters Sasha Simmons and Jada Oden petition the Westchester Surrogate’s Court, valuing the estate at under $50,000. |
| May 21, 2021 | Sons Xavier, Tacoma and Sean Simmons file their own papers, valuing it at just under $1 million. |
| May 28, 2021 | Def Jam releases the posthumous album Exodus. |
| June 2021 | A judge denies Desiree Lindstrom’s bid to be declared his common-law wife. |
| October 2021 | His three eldest sons are named temporary co-administrators. |
| 2024 | The court suspends the sons; Sasha Simmons and Lindstrom take over as co-administrators. |
| May 2024 | The estate signs Artist Legacy Group as its exclusive global representative. |
| December 13, 2024 | Second posthumous project, Let Us Pray: Chapter X, is released. |
| April 7, 2025 | Judge rules the estate, not ex-wife Tashera Simmons, owns his intellectual property. |
| September 2025 | Official merchandise store launches with Bravado. |
| January 2026 | Estate says a planned posthumous ordination is not estate-sanctioned. |
| June 12, 2026 | Yonkers names a street Earl “DMX” Simmons Way; family tensions surface on stage. |
Why Dying Without a Will Matters for the DMX Estate
When someone dies without a will in New York, state law decides who inherits. Under Section 4-1.1 of the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law, a surviving spouse with children takes $50,000 plus half of the rest, and the children share the remainder. If there is no spouse, the whole estate goes to the children, by representation.
DMX was not married when he died. He and Tashera Simmons divorced in 2016 after a long marriage, and he got engaged to Lindstrom in 2019.
Lindstrom tried to change that. In mid-2021 she asked the court to recognize her as his common-law wife, a status that would have given her a widow’s share and priority to run the estate. Hot 97 reported in June 2021 that a judge denied the request. New York has not recognized new common-law marriages since 1933.
So the legal answer is simple on paper: his children share equally. The practical answer is harder. Each claimed child has to be confirmed, and NME reported in October 2021 that all 15 people claiming to be his children were set for paternity testing after a woman came forward saying she was the 15th. With no will naming an executor, the court also had to choose who would run the DMX estate.
Who Runs the DMX Estate?
Five adult children filed first. According to Okayplayer, daughters Sasha Simmons and Jada Oden filed on May 10, 2021, and sons Xavier, Tacoma and Sean followed on May 21.
In October 2021 the Westchester County Surrogate’s Court named the three eldest sons, all children of Tashera Simmons, as temporary co-administrators. The estate hired entertainment attorney Ron Sweeney for music deals and estate lawyer Herb Nass for the probate side, NME reported.
That arrangement did not last. Atlanta Black Star reports that a court suspended the brothers in 2024, and that Sasha Simmons and Lindstrom have served as co-administrators since. The split was on public view in June 2026, when Xavier Simmons used a Yonkers street-naming ceremony to accuse Lindstrom of excluding his father’s “original family.”
The Debts DMX Left Behind
The debts help explain why early court filings valued the DMX estate so low. Federal prosecutors charged him in July 2017 with failing to file returns for 2010 to 2015, years in which he earned about $2.3 million. He pleaded guilty to a single count in November 2017.
In March 2018, Judge Jed Rakoff sentenced him to one year in prison and ordered restitution of about $2.29 million, according to his Wikipedia entry. He was released in January 2019. Celebrity Net Worth describes his IRS debt as roughly $2.3 million following the conviction.
Child support was the other big weight. Celebrity Net Worth puts his child support obligations at $1.24 million. It also notes a 2013 bankruptcy filing that listed about $50,000 in assets against somewhere between $1 million and $10 million in debt.
Some of that history reached the courtroom after his death. In the April 2025 ruling, the court found DMX had failed to pay a large amount of child support to Tashera Simmons before he died, a sum HipHopDX reported as an alleged $214,000, which the estate disputes. Under probate rules, valid debts like these are paid from estate assets before the heirs receive anything.
What the DMX Estate Is Actually Worth
On paper, the numbers look grim. In 2021 his daughters told the court the estate was worth less than $50,000, while his sons put it just under $1 million. Celebrity Net Worth went further and estimated a negative net worth. Those figures describe cash and property at death, not what a catalogue can earn over time.
The Catalogue and Royalties
DMX was one of the biggest-selling rappers of his era, and Celebrity Net Worth credits him with more than 70 million albums sold worldwide. His Def Jam run, which put him alongside labelmates like Jay-Z, still produces streaming and licensing income. AllHipHop, citing reported estimates, has put potential future royalty earnings at around $17.7 million. No sale price for the catalogue has been reported, and it is not clear how much of the masters the estate itself controls versus the label.
The biggest legal win so far protected that income. Tashera Simmons sued in 2024 claiming half of his copyrights, trademarks and likeness rights under their 2016 divorce deal. On April 7, 2025, Judge David F. Everett ruled that the estate is the sole owner of the intellectual property DMX acquired during the marriage, HipHopDX reported. Her lawyers said they might appeal.
Exodus and Let Us Pray
Exodus, executive produced by Swizz Beatz, arrived on May 28, 2021, through Ruff Ryders, Bloodline and Def Jam. It features Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Usher and Bono. The album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 equivalent units, his eighth top 10 album, and “Bath Salts” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song.
A faith-based project, Let Us Pray: Chapter X, followed on December 13, 2024, via Def Jam and UMe. Both releases add fresh streaming income to the DMX estate.
Name, Likeness and Merchandise
The estate now treats his name as a business asset. In May 2024 it made Artist Legacy Group its exclusive global representative for film, TV, documentary, brand and consumer product deals, HipHopDX reported. In September 2025 it opened an official store with Bravado, selling apparel and vinyl, according to uDiscover Music.
The DMX estate also guards the brand. In January 2026 it told HotNewHipHop that a posthumous ordination ceremony at a church was “not an Estate-sanctioned event.” Billboard has also reported a 2026 dispute with his early collaborator DJ Superior over old tapes and songwriting credits, which the estate says it “categorically disputes.”
Lessons for Artists From the DMX Estate
Rappers who came up around the same time, from Mannie Fresh to younger stars like Kevin Gates, have catalogues that could outlive them by decades. The DMX estate shows what happens when nothing is written down.
- A will names the decision maker. Without one, relatives had to petition the court, and control has already changed hands once.
- Taxes follow you. Unfiled returns and restitution became claims against what he left.
- Divorce papers need precise wording. The 2025 case turned on vague “intellectual property” language in a 2016 settlement.
- A trust can keep things private. Probate files are public, which is why so much of this story is known.
- Catalogue rights are the real inheritance. Cash at death can be close to zero while royalties keep coming in.
DMX Estate FAQ
Did DMX leave a will?
No. He died intestate, so New York law decides who inherits and the Surrogate’s Court appoints administrators.
Who gets the money from the DMX estate?
Because he was not married, the DMX estate passes to his children in equal shares once debts, taxes and legal costs are paid. Reports put the number of children at 15.
Who controls DMX’s music today?
The estate, run by co-administrators Sasha Simmons and Desiree Lindstrom. A 2025 ruling confirmed the estate, not his ex-wife, owns the intellectual property he acquired during their marriage.
How much money did DMX owe when he died?
Celebrity Net Worth cites about $2.3 million owed to the IRS and $1.24 million in child support obligations, and estimates his net worth at negative $1 million.
How did Exodus perform?
It debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 equivalent units in its first week.
DMX Estate: The Bottom Line
The DMX estate began as a case study in what goes wrong without planning: no will, millions in reported tax and child support debt, and 15 potential heirs with competing petitions. Five years later it looks different. The estate owns his intellectual property after the 2025 ruling, has licensing and merchandise partners, and has two posthumous releases on the market.
It is still not settled. Family tensions remain public, outside claims keep coming, and no final distribution to his children has been reported. The songs, though, keep earning, and that income is what his children will eventually share.
