Coolio, the American rapper who gained prominence with Gangsta’s Paradise, died on Wednesday, at 59. While an official cause of death has not been declared yet, it is believed that the musician suffered a cardiac arrest while visiting his friend’s home in Los Angeles. 

As per TMZ, authorities have said no drugs were found at the scene and are awaiting an official autopsy to know more. However, Coolio has been plagued by an asthma problem and the chronic disease has caused the rapper some trouble. 

In 2016, while performing at the Hill Country Barbecue Market, in Brooklyn, Coolio had to briefly stop his performance when the lung condition, which he battled most of his life, flared up. 

“Coolio was having problems with his asthma, but someone from the audience provided him with their inhaler that he used between verses of Gangsta’s Paradise, and his other songs”, New York Post reported, citing a source. 

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This was not an isolated incident. Coolio told USA Today that he had a few episodes of asthma attacks growing up, which ended up putting the rapper’s life in danger. “I had a few episodes with asthma where I was in serious trouble and could have died”, he said. 

Coolio explained how asthma affected him when the star was growing up. 

“I still played sports, but I would just have attacks and have to be hospitalized every now and then. It’s still a balancing act. You have to know your medications and you have to take them, but it can be a real challenge — especially in school”, he continued. 

The rapper then spoke about his 20s, saying “I didn’t have any insurance and the bills I was accruing at county hospitals were really adding up. Plus the medications cost money, so I couldn’t keep up with my medical needs.” 

This led to complications, and Coolio continued, “Then it was like I had a bad cold, and I had coughing fits, one so bad that I passed out on the bathroom floor.”

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He added, “I woke up later and tried to walk four blocks to the hospital because I knew I didn’t have the ability to drive. Every three feet or so I hung onto a fence or light pole, trying to regain some strength. Thankfully, someone saw the trouble I was having and stopped and gave me a ride to the hospital because I’m not sure I could have made it.”

While it remains unclear whether Coolio’s death was due to a cardiac arrest, studies from American Heart Association show that people diagnosed with asthma have a higher risk of suffering heart attacks.