Legendary rapper Artis ‘Coolio‘ Ivey Jr died in Los Angeles (LA) on Wednesday, police confirmed.
Artis ‘Coolio’ Ivey Jr dies: What’s the cause of death?
As reported by TMZ, emergency officials were called to a property in LA on Wednesday afternoon after a friend found the 59-year-old’s lifeless body in the bathroom.
In a statement quoted by the cited publication, longtime manager and saxophonist, Jarez revealed Coolio was at a friend’s house when he mysteriously fell to his death.
According to the unidentified friend’s account, Coolio went to the bathroom and did not come out for a while. When the friend went in to check on him, he discovered the 59-year-old’s lifeless body and immediately contacted authorities.
Sources within the LA police department (LAPD) indicate that no drugs were found at the scene. While cardiac arrest is suspected as Coolio’s cause of death, this will only be verified once an autopsy report is released by the coroner.
As things stand, no foul play is suspected.
Artis ‘Coolio’ Ivey Jr biography
Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr on 1 August 1963, was an acclaimed rapper hailing from Monessen, Pennsylvania. The rapper later moved to Compton, California, where he established himself as a promising artist at the dawn of Hip-Hop in the 1980s.
Before taking on rap as a full-time sport, Coolio worked as a volunteer firefighter and later as a security guard at LAX.
Before the likes of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg took over the rap scene in LA, Coolio was blazing the trail as a budding MC. In the late 80s, heatseekers like Whatcha Gonna Do (1987) and What Makes You Dance (1988) put the Monessen native on the map.
One of his early breakthroughs came in 1991 when he joined the rap group WC and the Maad Circle, and while this did not necessarily lead to a big-time debut in the mainstream, it did cast a spotlight on his talents as a co-contributor to the crew’s debut album Aint A Damn Thing Changed.
Tommy Boy Records, the label responsible for the careers of Queen Latifah, Afrika Bambaataa and Digital Underground, scooped Coolio in 1994 and helped him release his first solo album, It Takes A Thief, which was preempted by the lead single Fantastic Voyage.
Coolio’s first mainstream single did wonders. It was heavily rotated on music channels and radio and helped him earn his first-ever Top 3 listing on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The album went platinum, selling over a million units in the United States, and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.
A year later, his most significant break ever came when he was approached to provide a soundtrack for the 1995 cult classic drama, Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Coolio’s Gangster Paradise peaked at the summit of the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks and bossed all genres in the US and globally.
The song helped Coolio garner international fame, and in 1996, he notched his only Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
The success Coolio attracted came with its challenges. Over the years, the rapper had numerous brushes with the law and this hampered his music career.
In 2022, the 59-year-old was still earning a living from his career. His most recent performance was on Saturday, 24 September 2022, five days before his tragic death.
Coolio is survived by his ex-wife Josefa Salinas and his six children.
Social media reactions to Coolio’s death
Tributes to Coolio have been pouring in from all walks of life since the news of his death was confirmed. Here are some of the reactions we picked out: