Stacey Dash Shares Emotional Response to Learning DMX Died Over a Year Ago: 'I Did Not Know'

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty; Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Stacey Dash and DMX

Stacey Dash is sharing her feelings about the death of DMX.

In a video shared to a TikTok account appearing to belong to the actress, Dash, 55, broke down in tears while admitting that she just recently learned about the rapper's death last year.

"I'm ashamed," she said through tears. "I didn't know…. DMX died, I didn't know—from a cocaine overdose."

She continued, "I am today six years and one month clean. It breaks my heart, it breaks my heart, he lost to it, he lost, he lost to that demon of addiction please, please don't lose."

In the caption to the video, which was also shared on an Instagram account appearing to belong to her, the Clueless actress shared how she came to find out the news.

RELATED: DMX Says Wants to 'Be an Inspiration' as He Visits Children's Home Where He Once Lived in Documentary Clip

"I was strolling through #tiktok and found a #DMX song that has saved me many times," she wrote.  "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."

DMX died on April 9, 2021 at the age of 50 a week after he was hospitalized in grave condition after suffering a heart attack at his home, his attorney Murray Richman told NBC News the following day.

"He's quite ill," the attorney said in a separate statement to the Associated Press, adding that he did not know what caused the heart attack, nor was he able to confirm TMZ's report that it was triggered by a drug overdose.

DMX, born Earl Simmons, rose to fame in the '90s and was been open about his battle with substance abuse after the star said he was introduced to drugs by an adult who he looked up to "like an older brother" when he was a child.

"We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50 years old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days," they wrote in a statement.

Last October, Dash opened up about her own struggles with addiction as she celebrated five years of sobriety on The Dr. Oz Show.

RELATED: Stacey Dash Is 5 Years Sober After Vicodin Addiction Struggle: 'I Was Taking 18-20 Pills a Day'

In conversation with the host, Dash revealed she was taking between 18 and 20 Vicodin pills per day at one point.

Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty DMX

"I'm not blaming doctors at all because it was my choice to take more, you know?" she told Dr. Oz. "It was my choice to take that extra one even though I wasn't in pain. I chose to do that because the Vicodin filled that hole inside of me."

She continued, "It filled that anger. It calmed that anger down. It slowed my brain down. It gave me the ease so that I could deal with life. That's how I became addicted. It's no one's fault but my own."

When Oz, 61, replied, "18-20 Vicodin a day — that's expensive," Dash agreed, saying "I lost everything."

Dash had previously shared her history with addiction, telling PEOPLE in 2016 that she was offered her first line of cocaine at 16 years old.

"I couldn't find happiness," she said at the time. "It got to a point where I didn't even want to live anymore. The voice in my head was saying, 'There's nothing here for you.' "

Dash told Oz that her parents had also struggled with addiction, and that she better understood them after her own experience.

Dash added, "I encourage anyone who has a story they are scared of telling to share it with the world. You never know who will be able to relate to you and who it can help."