The American rapper, Coolio, passed away yesterday at 5 pm. He was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of his friend’s house in Los Angeles, according to his manager, Jarez Posey.
The cause of his death is still unknown but the paramedics said that he may have had a cardiac arrest.
Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., Coolio had an illustrious career that spanned nearly four decades. He released eight albums and won three MTV music video awards and American Music Awards. However, he is most famous for his 1995 single, Gangster Paradise, from the album with the same name, which was on the soundtrack of the movie Dangerous Minds (starring Michelle Pfeiffer) for which he won a Grammy award.
The rapper had also appeared in several HBO films and TV serials, including the reality TV show, Coolio’s Rules, and the cooking web series, Cooking with Coolio, which gained over four million likes on the web.
Coolio had worked with many European and international DJs such as Benny Benassi, Yves Larock, and Paul Oakenfold, just to name a few. He released the album El Cool Magnifico in 2003, featuring hip-hop performer Miss Toi, country legend Kenny Rogers, Krazye Bone from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, B-real of Cypress Hill, and Daz Dillinger.
He was also reportedly collaborating with the Irish rock band Aslan’s lead singer, Christy Dignam, on a new track a few months ago.
BTS’s Mentor
Coolio had also briefly mentored the famous K-pop band BTS during its rookie days in 2014 when it was in the US filming Mnet’s American Hustle Life.
He had shared a heartfelt message for BTS in 2014, which read:
Boys! The most important thing is to keep pumping your heart. Stay dedicated to your life and craft. And if music is your life you must be dedicated to it. If you are doing music for fame or money then forget about it. Do it because you love it.
https://twitter.com/coolio/status/494898941734191104?lang=en
Here is one of his messages to other artistes shared in a tweet by Mzazi Willy M. Tuva.
COOLIO's message to artistes.
RIP Coolio
Your music lives on, your message will inspire generations to come. To God Be The Glory.
Rest In Peace pic.twitter.com/gYVyRjCa7x
— Mzazi Willy M. Tuva (@mzaziwillytuva) September 29, 2022
The world has lost a big music icon and Coolio will be missed.
