Artis Leon Ivey Jr. Is Dead! (Coolio Dies At 59)
The rapper who enjoyed great success in the 1990s went unexpectedly late on Wednesday after visiting a friend.
Jarez, Coolio’s longtime manager, claims that Coolio left his friend’s house to use the restroom, but when he didn’t return after some time, the friend kept calling for him. Eventually, the friend went inside and discovered Coolio lying on the floor.
Jarez informs us that the paramedics believe Coolio experienced cardiac arrest. It is reported that the friend called EMTs, who responded and declared Coolio dead at the scene. There has been no official determination on the cause of death.
Coolio, whose actual name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., started out in the Los Angeles rap scene in the late 1980s, but he gained national attention in 1995 when he recorded “Gangsta’s Paradise” for the “Dangerous Minds” album.
The song reached #1 and stayed there for 3 weeks.
While ‘Paradise’ became his signature hit, Coolio had several others … including 1994’s “Fantastic Voyage” — which hit #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 — as well as “1,2,3,4 (Sumpin’ New)” and “It’s All the Way Live (Now).”
Coolio was 59.
RIP
