American rapper Coolio, known for his 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise”, has died at the age of 59, his manager announced on Wednesday.
Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, the Grammy Award-winning musician died in Los Angeles, according to Jarez Posey who spoke to AFP. The cause of death is not yet known.
The manager, also a longtime close friend of the rapper, told TMZ – a publication specialising in celebrity news – that he found him unconscious in a friend’s bathroom.
Coolio began his career in California in the late 1980s, but rose to stardom with 1995’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which featured on the soundtrack to the movie “Rebellious Minds.”
The hit won him a Grammy Award the following year. He rapped over the chorus and music of “Pastime Paradise”, a song by Stevie Wonder released in 1976.
The recipe was a winner, with millions of copies of “Gangsta’s Paradise” selling around the world, reaching the number one in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, making it Coolio's most successful single.
