Coolio’s cause of death has been confirmed.
The rapper who sang “Gangsta’s Paradise” died in September. His real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., and he was found dead on the bathroom floor of a friend.
Coolio died more than six months ago, but now we know what caused his death.
Find out more about the death of Coolio below.
Jerez Posey, who was Coolio’s manager, told TMZ that the 59-year-old rapper died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine.
He also says that the “Fantastic Voyage” rapper’s severe asthma and decades of smoking contributed to his death and made it hard for his body to fight back.
The Medical Examiner-Coroner for Los Angeles County also lists cardiomyopathy as a possible cause.
Cardiomyopathy is a term used by the NHS to describe diseases of the heart muscle in which the walls around the heart chambers become “stretched, thickened, or stiff.”
This then changes how well the heart can move blood around the body.
Even though he died in a tragic way, Posey said that his children want to honor him in a documentary and carry on his legacy.
Before making music his full-time job in 1987, Coolio worked as a volunteer firefighter and in airport security.
But his 1995 hit “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which was used in the movie “Dangerous Minds” with Michelle Pfeiffer, made him a star.
It was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts for three weeks.
“Gangsta’s Paradise” went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance and was 1995’s best-selling single.
It was also number 98 on Billboard’s list of the 100 best songs of all time.
Also, “Gangsta’s Paradise” recently went over a billion plays on Spotify.
Coolio also had songs like “Fantastic Voyage,” “Rollin’ With My Homies,” and “Too Hot” that were big hits.
In 2009, he also took part in Celebrity Big Brother, where he came in third.
The rapper was on tour with Vanilla Ice and Young MC. A few nights before he died, they played in Texas.
Coolio was remembered by a lot of famous people, and Pfeiffer was one of them. She wrote a touching Instagram post about him.
She penned in the caption:
Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist Coolio. A life cut entirely too short.
As some of you may know I was lucky enough to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995.
I remember him being nothing but gracious. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song. Sending love and light to his family. Rest in Power, Artis Leon Ivey Jr.
His tour partner Vanilla Ice shared:
I’m freaking out I just heard my good friend Coolio passed away.
Rapper and actor LL Cool J said:
Rest in power my brother. Coolio Love & Respect.
This is sad news. I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry,
shared rapper and actor Ice Cube.
Weirdly, a comedian, Al Yankovic, also remembered the rapper by posting a picture of the two of them hugging with the caption:
RIP Coolio.
He made fun of the song “Gangsta’s Paradise” with the song “Amish Paradise.”
At the time, people thought that Coolio had not given Yankovic permission to use his song.
But they soon made up.
