Legendary rapper Coolio dies at 59

Coolio, who rose to fame with his hit-song ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, has died aged 59.

The rapper’s death has been confirmed by his longtime manager Jarez Posey, who broke the news to TMZ. Coolio was reportedly found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend’s house in Los Angeles, and the police have indicated no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of his death.

It’s alleged paramedics made their way to a house in Los Angeles at 4pm yesterday, and immediately pronounced the rapper dead. The cause of his death is yet to be revealed, but Posey told TMZ that paramedics believe Coolio suffered a cardiac arrest.

Coolio began his career in the 1980s, but for many years, it wasn’t until he signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1994 that it truly got underway. His debut album, It Takes A Thief, climbed to eight on the Billboard Chart, and also went platinum.

He followed the success up with ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, which was used on the film Dangerous Minds, and it took Coolio’s career to heights. It topped the charts across the world, including in the United States and the United Kingdom, and won a Grammy in 1996 for ‘Best Rap Solo Performance’.

His third album, My Soul, was still successful but not on the same level as his previous two albums, and Coolio was subsequently dropped by Tommy Boy Records.

Throughout the ’00s, Coolio was a regular fixture on reality television. In 2004, he appeared on a German talent show featuring fallen stars called, Comeback: The Big Chance. Additionally, the rapper featured on the British version of Celebrity Big Brother and appeared on Wife Swap.

Tributes have already begun to pour in, with MC Hammer describing Coolio as “one of the nicest dudes I’ve known”. He also wrote, “Good people. RIP Coolio.” Hammer later shared an image of the rapper, which he followed up with a second picture of the pair together, along with Tupac and Snoop Dogg.

Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg shared an image of them on the set of the music video for their 2006 collaboration ‘Gangsta Walk’ and wrote: “Gangstas paradise. R I P.”