Rapper Coolio is dead at 59 in Los Angeles, his manager has confirmed that.
So, The artist, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died at a friend’s home, his longtime manager Jarez Posey told the Associated Press. And other outlets including TMZ, Rolling Stone and Variety.
The cause of death has not been confirmed. And also a Guardian request to his manager for comment was not immediately returned.
Coolio is best known for his 1995 single Gangsta’s Paradise, for which he won Best Rap Solo Performance Grammy. The smash hit came from the soundtrack to Michelle Pfeiffer’s film Dangerous Minds and sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song Pastime Paradise.
He was nominated for five more Grammy Awards during a career that began in the late 1980s.
His career took off in 1994 with the release of his debut album It Takes a Thief on Tommy Boy Records. Its opening track, Fantastic Voyage, would reach number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
A year later, Gangsta’s Paradise became a #1 single with its haunting opening lyrics: “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/ I look at my life and realize there’s nothing left/ ‘Cause I” cried and laughed so long that / even my mom thinks my mind is gone.’ Check out all blogs in the Entertainment category the data in this blog is from Wiki.
Coolio Dead At 59
Earlier this year, the song reached one billion views on YouTube. “I want to thank everyone for all the years of love and being there for me,” Coolio said in a video for the milestone, Billboard reported. “I hope I’ve seen you through some good times and some bad.
Pfeiffer was among those who paid tribute to the rapper. In an Instagram post, the actress said: “Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the talented artist @coolio. Too short a life… I remember he was just kind. 30 years later, I still get chills when I hear (Gangsta’s Paradise).
Rapper Ice Cube wrote on Twitter: “Sad news. I am witnessing how this man rose to the top of the industry. Rest in peace.”
So, Coolio was born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh, and moved to Compton, California, where he attended community college. He worked as a volunteer firefighter and in airport security before turning full-time to hip-hop.
His early work for fire crews in the San Jose area was “a way to clean up”. He told the Los Angeles Times in 1994. “I needed discipline in my firefighter training. We ran every day. I didn’t drink, I didn’t smoke and I didn’t do what I usually did.”
Coolio would become an actor and an award-winning musician who would appear in dozens of films and popular television shows, Variety reported.
So, In recent years, Coolio has appeared on the reality TV show Big Brother and developed a cooking series that has grown online. Also, In 2013, he made headlines for a planned auction of his music rights. So, Including the rights to Gangsta’s Paradise, to finance his career as a chef. He has also written a cookbook and appeared on celebrity cooking shows.
