Stacey Dash had an emotional reaction this week when she learned that DMX had died more than a year ago.
The Clueless actress—who was previously open about her past drug addiction—uploaded a video of herself breaking down in tears after finding out that the rapper had passed away in April 2021 from a cocaine-induced heart attack.
"I was strolling through #tiktok and found a #DMX song that has saved me many times," Stacey, 55, captioned the Aug. 31 Instagram post. "Suddenly it says #RIP i know I am late, i did not know he passed away, he #OD I am heartbroken - he was such a great guy."
In the clip, the actress tells her followers that she's "ashamed" that she is just now finding out about DMX's death. "I didn't know DMX died," she explained. "I didn't know from a cocaine overdose."
Stacey added, "I am today, six years and one month clean and it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart that he lost to it. He lost. He lost to that demon of addiction. Please, please don't lose."
While some fans in the comments section of Stacey's Instagram post criticized her reaction, others defended her, including one social media user who wrote, "leave her alone. She has been very open about her pill addiction. Clearly, she's triggered by something and dealing with stuff. We love Stacey."
Another person commented, "You're inspiring me to continue trying to be fully sober fyi. No pressure literally but saying so because thank you for uplifting others by uplifting yourself."
Last October, Stacey opened up about her battle with drug addiction, telling Dr. Oz that she first tried drugs when she was only 8 years old, and at 16, she said her mother—who was also addicted to drugs—gave her her first line of cocaine. She also shared that she "was taking 18 to 20 pills a day" at one point, and no one knew.
At the time, however, the Single Ladies actress was celebrating five years of sobriety. "I'm clean, five years," she said in Oct. 2021. "And in this five years, my blessing—the greatest blessing—is that not only have I been able to be honest with myself and become a better person, I've been able to understand my parents and that they did love me and that they were doing the best they could and they were just sick. They were addicted."