Rapper Coolio Dead at 59 – Report
According to TMZ, rapper Coolio has died.
The report says that Coolio was visiting a friend in Los Angeles when he passed away.
Coolio's longtime manager, Jarez, says Coolio went to the bathroom at his friend's house, but when he didn't come after a while ... the friend kept calling for him, and eventually went in and found Coolio laying on the floor.
While an official cause of death has not been determined, EMTs who responded to the call reportedly pronounced Coolio dead on the scene. Paramedics told Coolio's manager they suspect he suffered cardiac arrest.
The Compton native, born Artis Ivey Jr., rose to enormous fame in the 90s; becoming a household name after the release of his smash hit single "Gangsta's Paradise."
While Coolio had been building his name in the Los Angeles rap scene since the late 80s, it was the 1995 hit song that catapulted him onto the national scene when "Gangstas Paradise" was featured on the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer film "Dangerous Minds."
The song shot up the charts and remained at #1 for three weeks.
While "Gangsta's Paradise" would forever be his biggest hit, Coolio released many other successful singles including "It's All The Way Live (Now)," "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)," and the Billboard Hot 100 single "Fantastic Voyage" that peaked at #3 back in 1994.
Our team at XXL has reached out to management for confirmation on Coolio's death and we will update this story when and if more information becomes available.
Coolio was 59.