Coolio, best known for his 1995 Grammy-Award-winning single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” has died, his manager confirms to PEOPLE. He was 59.
The rapper’s cause of death has not been publicly shared.
His longtime manager, Jarez Posey, tells PEOPLE that Coolio — born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. — died Wednesday in Los Angeles.
According toTMZ, which was first to report the news, Posey said the late musician went to the bathroom at a friend’s house. When he didn’t come out, the friend called his name but he didn’t answer. They then found Coolio on the floor.
The friend called for help, per the outlet, and once responders arrived, Coolio was pronounced dead.
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The fire department also confirmed the news in a statement to PEOPLE.
“LAFD arrived four minutes after dispatch to find an approximately 60-year-old male unresponsive, and they performed resuscitation efforts for approximately 45 minutes, per protocol,” the statement read. “With consultation through the Base Hospital Physician, the patient was declared dead just before 5 p.m. PT. “LAFD cleared the scene, which was left under LAPD supervision, awaiting the Coroner.”
Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, in 1963, Coolio later moved to Compton, California, where he attended Compton Community College before becoming a rapper.
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Coolio released the hit single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” featuring singer L.V., in 1995. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and won the Grammy Award for best rap solo performance at the 1996 Grammys.
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In an interview withThe Irish Examinerin July, the rapper looked back at the track’s success. “You make music and you never think about what it’s going to do and what it’s not going to do,” he said at the time. “This is the amazing thing about ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ and I’m proud of it. It only got put up on YouTube on Tommy Boy [the hip hop platform] four years ago. It reached a billion views in four years.”
He added, “I reached a billion the same week50 Centreached a billion with ‘In Da Club.’ It took ‘In Da Club’ 17 years to reach a billion. It took me four.”
Coolio.Kris Connor/Getty
In addition to eight studio albums, he appeared in the reality showCoolio’s Ruleson Oxygen in 2008. He also provided the opening track, titled “Aw, Here It Goes!,” for the Nickelodeon television seriesKenan & Kel.
He made additional television appearances, including onCelebrity Big Brotherin 2009 and onUltimate Big Brotherin 2010. He also created a web series titledCookin' with Coolioand released a cookbook titledCookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price.
In his interview withThe Irish Examiner, Coolio said that he was working on new music, including a collaboration with Christy Dignam of the Irish rock band Aslan.
“We’ve just got into it. We’re working on a track. We haven’t even started writing any lyrics. The track is being built as we speak. Somewhere within the next four to six weeks we should have something tangible we could work with,” he said this summer.
Questlovewas one of the first celebrities to react to the news on social media. Sharing a photo of the late rapper, hewrote, “Peaceful Journey Brother.#Coolio.”
source: people.com
