His manager said he was visiting a friend’s home in Los Angeles when he apparently suffered a heart attack. Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, Coolio emerged on the Los Angeles rap scene in the 1980s, but it was Gangsta’s Paradise that propelled him to international fame and earned him a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. The song reached number one on the US Billboard charts and stayed there for three weeks. He was nominated for five more Grammys during his career, which began in the late 1980s. The hit Fantastic Voyage reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. US rapper Vanilla Ice said he was “freaking out” after reports of Coolio’s death. “Freaked out to just hear my good friend Coolio passed away,” the rapper, real name Robert Matthew Van Winkle, tweeted. Former NWA star Ice Cube said: “This is sad news.” The rapper, real name O’Shea Jackson Sr, tweeted: “Witnessing firsthand the defense of this man at the top of the industry. Rest In Peace.” MC Hammer described Coolio as “one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met”. “Good people. RIP Coolio,” he wrote. She also shared a black and white photo of the rapper. She later posted a second photo of the pair together, along with Tupac and Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg wrote: “Gangstas paradise. RI P.” He shared a photo of the two of them on Instagram, posing on the set of the music video for their 2006 collaboration Gangsta Walk. Music comedian Weird Al Yankovic paid his respects by sharing a photo of the pair embracing and adding: “RIP Coolio”. He parodied Gangsta’s Paradise as Amish Paradise, although it was claimed at the time that Coolio had not given him permission to do so. Coolio stated in interviews that the couple had since made up. Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, Coolio moved to Compton, California, where he attended community college. He worked as a volunteer firefighter and in airport security before devoting himself full-time to hip-hop and releasing his first single in 1987. He recorded Gangsta’s Paradise for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer. He also provided the opening track Aw, Here It Goes! for the TV series Kenan & Kel. The rapper came third in the sixth series of Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother in 2009. Police sources told entertainment website TMZ that no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of Coolio’s death. He said paramedics were called to a home in Los Angeles around 4pm for a medical emergency and found Coolio dead when they arrived. Police opened an investigation into the death, but there appeared to be no signs of foul play, the website added.
