After creating international hits including “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “C U When You Get There,” Coolio became well-known. He passed away at the age of 59.
The rapper who was extremely popular in the 1990s passed away on September 28 in Los Angeles while visiting a friend.
Jarez, Coolio’s longtime manager, disclosed that he was discovered dead and face down on the bathroom floor. Jarez claims that Coolio went to his friend’s house to use the restroom, but when he didn’t return after some time, the friend began calling for him without success. And when he finally entered, he discovered him lying dead on the floor.
A friend dialed 911, and when EMTs came, they pronounced Coolio dead. Jarez claims that paramedics believe he had a heart attack. There has been no official confirmation of the cause of death.
Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr., Coolio emerged on the Los Angeles rap scene in the late 1980s but shot to fame when he recorded “Gangsta’s Paradise” for the “Dangerous Minds” album in 1995.
The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks.
Paradise became his signature hit, including 1994’s “Fantastic Voyage”, which hit #3 on Billboard’s 100, as well as “1,2,3,4 (Sumotin’ New)” and “It’s All the Way Live (Now)”
GangSta’s Paradise rose to prominence as one of the greatest rap tracks ever. It was the No. 1 hit in 1995 across all genres in the United States in addition to spending three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
And topped the charts in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand. It was also a worldwide hit.
In the UK, it had the second-best sales in 1995. The song brought Coolio a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
The song “GangSta’s Paradise” paved the groundwork for Coolio’s ascent to fame. It was not intended to be a part of one of Coolio’s studio albums, but due to its popularity, Coolio decided to include it on his subsequent album and make it the album’s lead single.
The chorus and musical background from Stevie Wonder’s song “Pastime Paradise,” which was released over 20 years earlier, are incorporated into this song.
The RIAA awarded “GangSta’s Paradise” a 2x Platinum certification, and more than 2 million copies were sold worldwide.
Coolio was born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, on August 1, 1963, and later relocated to Crompton, California. Before becoming a rapper, he worked as a volunteer firefighter and security at the Los Angeles International Airport after graduating from Compton Community College.