Coolio, Gangsta’s Paradise rapper, dies at 59; fans pay tributes

Grammy award-winning American rapper Coolio passed away on Wednesday (September 28). He was 59.

The exact cause of his death was not known, and according to a report on BBC, the rapper was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend’s house in Los Angeles.

Captain Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that firefighters and paramedics responded to a call on the 2900 block of South Chesapeake Avenue at 4 pm local time for reports of a medical emergency, a CNN report said.

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It stated that when they arrived, they found an unresponsive male and performed “resuscitation efforts for approximately 45 minutes.” The patient “was determined dead just before 5:00 pm,” Scott said.

“We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away this afternoon. He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. Thank you to everyone worldwide who has listened to his music and to everyone who has been reaching out regarding his passing. Please have Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers,” ,” Coolio’s talent manager Sheila Finegan said in a statement to the media.

Coolio’s original name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr, grew up in Compton, California.

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According to his personal website, with over 17 million records sold worldwide, multi-platinum recording artist Coolio was an artist known around the world as a musical and cooking master of extraordinary reinvention.

Coolio initially took over the world rap scene through the “Gangsta’s Paradise” release, which won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Rap Performance, Solo. “Gangsta’s Paradise” would also be featured on the “Dangerous Minds” soundtrack and movie. “Gangsta’s Paradise,” also featuring LV on vocals, was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Song of the Year and it sold over six million copies and was Billboard Magazine’s number one single in 1995, the portal said.

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips said he was “absolutely stunned” to hear the news and described Coolio as “one of the warmest, funniest people I’ve ever met”.

“I am absolutely stunned. Coolio was a friend and one of the warmest, funniest people I’ve ever met. We spent an amazing time together making Red Water in Capetown and we loved going head to head in the kitchen. He was one of a kind. Epic,Legendary and I’ll miss him. #RIPCoolio (sic),” Phillips tweeted.

Many fans took to social media to pay their tributes to Coolio.