Popular American rapper Coolio, who rose to fame in the 1990s following his release of Gangsta’s Paradise, died on Wednesday afternoon, September 29, 2022, in Los Angeles.

According to reports, the singer was paying a visit to a friend’s house on Wednesday when he died. Jarez, the rapper’s manager, later revealed that he went to the bathroom and did not come out even after a while before his friend called him several times and went in to find him lying on the floor of the bathroom.

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The friend, whom Coolio was visiting, called emergency services quickly, who pronounced him dead after arriving. According to the rapper’s manager, the paramedics suspected a cardiac arrest as the cause of his death, however, the official cause is yet to be revealed.

Who was Coolio?

Artis Leon Ivey Jr, popularly known as Coolio, was born on August 1, 1963, in Monessen, Pennsylvania, to Artis and Jackie. His father, Artis, worked as a carpenter while his mother, Jackie, was a factory worker. Soon after his birth, Coolio moved to Compton, California.

He went on to attend the Compton Community College while doing odd jobs as a volunteer firefighter and security guard at the Los Angeles International Airport, before turning his focus to singing.

His first single, named ‘Whatcha Goona Do?’ was released in 1987. He went on to record several other singles before joining WC and the Maad Circle in 1991. Initial success with the group led him to sign a contract with Tommy Boy Records, following the release of his maiden solo album ‘It takes a Thief’.

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He released Gangsta’s Paradise in 1995, for John N Smith’s 1995 film Dangerous Minds. The song skyrocketed his popularity overnight and became the most successful song in his career. The song became the top single of 1995 in the United States and topped the global charts in a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany. It also helped him to win a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1996.

Coolio married Josefa Salinas in 1996 and the couple went on to have a total of four children. However, Coolio has a total of 10 children, six of whom were from his other relationships. The couple divorced four years later in 2000.

Apart from the Grammy, Coolio also won several other awards, including the MTV Video Music Award and the American Music Award