Grammy-winning rapper Coolio (1963-2022) died in Los Angeles on Wednesday. This was announced by his longtime manager Jarez Posey to the US magazine "People". The musician was 59 years old. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Regarding the circumstances, Posey told TMZ that Artis Leon Ivey Jr., the rapper's real name, was found unconscious in the bathroom at a friend's house. The alarmed rescue workers could only determine his death.
Coolio became world famous with his single "Gangsta's Paradise", which won a Grammy for best rap solo performance in 1995.
In an interview with The Irish Examiner in July, the rapper looked back on the song's success. "You make music and you never think about what it will and won't do," he said at the time. "That's the amazing thing about 'Gangsta's Paradise' and I'm proud of it. It was released on YouTube on Tommy Boy [the hip-hop platform] just four years ago. In four years it's hit one billion views." Coolio added, "I hit 1 billion the same week that 50 Cent hit 1 billion with 'In Da Club'. It took 'In Da Club' 17 years to hit 1 billion. It was four for me."
He also wrote the theme song "Aw, Here It Goes" for the Nickelodeon television series "Kenan
After a few studio albums, he also appeared in the reality show "Coolio's Rules" on Oxygen in 2008. He has had other television appearances including Celebrity Big Brother in 2009 and Ultimate Big Brother in 2010. He also created a cooking web series entitled Cookin' with Coolio and published a cookbook entitled "Cookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price".
According to their own statements, music was apparently back on the program. In his interview with The Irish Examiner, Coolio said he's working on new music, including a collaboration with Christy Dignam, 62, of Irish rock band Aslan. "We've just started on it. We're working on a track. We haven't even started writing any lyrics yet. The track is in the making as we speak. Sometime in the next four to six weeks we should have something solid to work with we can work," he said this summer.
