Coolio

The US rapper, real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died on Wednesday, his manager confirmed to multiple US outlets.

The rapper was born in Pennsylvania, but later moved to Compton, California, where he released his first single in 1987. The song was also parodied by US musical comedian Weird Al Yankovic, as Amish Paradise, though at the time it was claimed that Coolio had not given him permission to do so. Coolio came third in the sixth series of UK Celebrity Big Brother in 2009, losing out to broadcaster Terry Christian, who was the runner up, and presenter and model Ulrika Jonsson, who won.

Coolio, whose birth name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1996 for “Gangsta's Paradise.” “ ...

[The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/golfa-s-paradise-interview-coolio-1247021.html) in 1997 that as a child, he would play board games with his mother, to whom he later dedicated his success. Coolio’s other hits included “Fantastic Voyage” — the opening song on his debut album — and “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New),” which were both nominated for Grammys. [his official online biography](https://coolioworld.com/me/). She wrote that the late addition “turned a preachy Michelle Pfeiffer film about an inner-city teacher into a hit that sounded fresher than it really was.” Posey, who worked with the rapper for more than 20 years, said he was told that Coolio died at about 5 p.m. [He said in 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDdX7k3nASE) that after years of lamenting over his struggles in the music industry, he had realized that “people would kill to take my place.” It was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. At a 2016 performance in Brooklyn, N.Y., [Page Six reported](https://pagesix.com/2016/02/25/coolio-has-asthma-attack-on-stage-gets-inhaler-from-crowd/), he had an asthma attack and was saved by a fan who had an inhaler. [PopkillerTV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDdX7k3nASE) in 2018 that the song had taken him on “a great ride.” Its popularity has endured for decades, with the music video garnering [a rare billion-plus views on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPO76Jlnz6c). [wrote in a review](https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/19/arts/pop-briefs-048089.html) in The New York Times, noting that “Gangsta’s Paradise” uses “the somber minor chords” of “Pastime Paradise,” by Stevie Wonder. [wrote for The Times](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/26/movies/critic-s-notebook-singing-dancing-and-sinning.html) in 1996. Other hits by Coolio, who won a Grammy for “Gangsta’s Paradise” in the mid-1990s, included “Fantastic Voyage” and “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New).”

Coolio, whose legal name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died at the Los Angeles home of a friend, longtime manager Jarez Posey told The Associated Press. The cause ...

He worked as a volunteer firefighter and in airport security before devoting himself full-time to the hip-hop scene. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The cause was not immediately clear.

The artist, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, won a Grammy for the song Gangsta's Paradise. Rapper Coolio has died at age 59, his manager has confirmed ...

“This is sad news,” Ice Cube said on Twitter. He recorded Gangsta’s Paradise for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and it went on to become one of the most successful rap songs of all time. He also came third in the sixth series of UK Celebrity Big Brother in 2009 and went on to join the cast of Ultimate Big Brother the following year, the last series of the show to air on Channel 4.

However Mr Posey told TMZ, which first reported the news, that paramedics believed he may have had a cardiac arrest. Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey ...

"Good people. "This is sad news. He also shared a picture of the two posing on the set of the music video for Gangsta Walk, a track they collaborated on in 2006.

Coolio, the American rapper best known for the 1995 hit 'Gangsta's Paradise', has died at the age of 59.

So focused was Coolio on this aspect of his career, he began [several](https://www.nme.com/news/music/coolio-8-1330435) [legal](https://www.nme.com/news/music/coolio-6-1318250) [troubles](https://www.nme.com/news/music/coolio-10-1198429) – in this case, being an accessory to a robbery in Stuttgart, Germany. Away from music, Coolio appeared in many movies – both as himself and playing a bit-part character. Billboard chart success also came with the singles ‘1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)’ and ‘C U When U Get There’. [Ed Sheeran](https://www.nme.com/artists/ed-sheeran)‘s single ‘Shape Of You’. The following year, Coolio achieved the biggest success of his career with ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, which served as the title track to his second studio album. Upon its release in August 1995, the song achieved worldwide commercial success. Globally, the single achieved Platinum certification a total of 222 times. A debut album, ‘It Takes A Thief’, eventually followed in 1994. I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. [September 29, 2022] This is sad news.

His manager said he was visiting a friend's house in Los Angeles when he apparently suffered a heart attack. Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, Coolio emerged ...

Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, Coolio moved to Compton, California, where he went to community college. He later posted a second picture of the pair together, along with Tupac and Snoop Dogg. He also shared a black and white picture of the rapper. R I P." Snoop Dogg wrote: "Gangstas paradise. Rest In Peace."

The US rapper, responsible for 1990s hit song Gangsta's Paradise, died on Wednesday afternoon. Coolio's manager at Trinity Artists International, Sheila Finegan ...

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Coolio's manager at Trinity Artists International, Sheila Finegan, confirmed the death to the PA news agency. Celebrity Big Brother 2009 Launch – Hertfordshire As well as a successful music career, Coolio came third in the sixth series of UK Celebrity Big ...

“I remember him being nothing but gracious. MC Hammer described Coolio as “one of the nicest dudes I’ve known” as he shared a picture of the pair together with Tupac and Snoop. “I witnessed first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. But along with Jonsson he went on to join the cast of Ultimate Big Brother the following year in 2010, the last series of the show to air on Channel 4. “He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. Coolio “touched the world” with his talent and will be “missed profoundly” following his death aged 59, his management have said.

The US rapper, whose legal name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died at the Los Angeles home of a friend.

[Grammys](/topic/grammys) during a career that began in the late-1980s. [Grammy](/topic/grammy) for best solo rap performance for Gangsta’s Paradise, the 1995 hit from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer film Dangerous Minds. [oolio](/topic/coolio), who was among hip-hop’s biggest names of the 1990s with hits including Gangsta’s Paradise, died on Wednesday at the age of 59.

Coolio death: Gangsta's Paradise rapper dead at 59 - cause of death, net worth & Celebrity Big Brother · American rapper, Coolio, has died at the age of 59, his ...

Rest In Peace Coolio” while Public Enemy rapper [Flavour Fla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor_Flav)v [tweeted](https://twitter.com/FlavorFlav?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor): “Coolio was the West Coast Flavor Flav. #RIP my friend,” [Kenan Thompson](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0860380/), for whom Coolio provided the intro music for Nickelodeon series Kenan and Kel, posted an [Instagram story](https://www.instagram.com/kenanthompson/?hl=en), saying, “Wait, now Coolio!!” followed by two more slides featuring photos of the musician, writing, “Damn, homie!!! [Coolio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolio), born Artis Leon Ivey Jr, was reported to have been found unresponsive on his bathroom floor by his manager Jarez Posey, the [BBC](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63070138) has reported. [Ice Cube tweeted](https://twitter.com/icecube?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) “This is sad news. He reappeared in the Big Brother world in Ultimate Big Brother back in 2010. He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack - which I think was the reason our film saw so much success. Despite this, he trusted Fuqua and was ultimately pleased with the final result. I remember him being nothing but gracious. [Coolio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolio) swept the charts across the world with the release of collaboration with L.V, entitled [Gangsta’s Paradise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsta%27s_Paradise). [Celebrity Big Brother](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Big_Brother_(British_TV_series)), where he finished in third place behind [Ulrika Jonsson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrika_Jonsson) and [Terry Christian](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0160092/). [Coolio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolio), who shot to fame in the90s with classic rap anthem [Gangsta’s Paradise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsta%27s_Paradise), has died at the age of 59. [Antoine Fuqua](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0298807/) and featured Michelle Pfeiffer reprising her earlier role in [Dangerous Minds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Minds).

Coolio's manager at Trinity Artists International, Sheila Finegan, confirmed the death to the PA news agency. “We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend ...

Pfeiffer said she was “heartbroken” to hear the news of his death, adding that she remembered him as “nothing but gracious” when they worked together. “I witnessed first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Jonsson told PA that his death was a “shock” but the pair had shared “so many laughs” together. “He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. The rapper was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend’s house in Los Angeles, according to US media outlet TMZ. “We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away this afternoon,” the agency said in a statement shared with PA.

Artist won a Grammy for best solo rap performance in 1995.

3 on the Billboard Hot 100. He worked as a volunteer firefighter and in airport security before devoting himself full-time to the hip-hop scene. The cause was not immediately clear.

Michelle Pfeiffer, who starred in 1995 film that featured hit single Gangsta's Paradise, among those to pay respects.

[to fund his career as a chef](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/21/coolio-music-catalogue-rights-career-chef). I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Writing on Twitter, the rapper and actor said: “This is sad news. Its opening track, Fantastic Voyage, would reach No 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. American rapper Snoop Dogg also paid tribute, writing “Gangstas paradise. Please have Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”

The American rapper, known best for the 1990s hit song Gangsta's Paradise, has died aged 59.

“He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. Among those to respond immediately to the reports was fellow US rapper Vanilla Ice, who said he was “freaking out” after hearing the news. His management said he “touched the world” with his talent and will be “missed profoundly”. Sharing a picture of the pair embracing, he wrote: “RIP Coolio”. [Big Brother](https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/20600260.big-brother-set-return-new-series-itv/) the following year in 2010, the last series of the show to air on Channel 4. He was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend’s house in Los Angeles, according to TMZ.

Coolio (real name: Artis Leon Ivey Jr) – best known for his 1995 hit Gangsta's Paradise – has passed away at the age of 59.

[wrote](https://twitter.com/Kthelastman/status/1575398183555014659) on Twitter, as someone else [said](https://twitter.com/1fanTyson/status/1575396598573678593): "We lost a legend! The track continues to be widely listened to and has just passed a billion streams on Spotify, according to Coolio's official website. Similarly, Snoop Dogg shared a [photo](https://www.instagram.com/p/CjEnucVsLyB/) of himself and Coolio along with his own tribute, saying: "Gangstas paradise. Posey told TMZ that Coolio – who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2010 – was visiting a friend at the time of his death. According to his longtime manager Jarez Posey, the musician was found unresponsive on Wednesday (28 September) on the bathroom floor of a friend's house in Los Angeles. According to the news outlet, police have opened a death investigation but as of right now there does not appear to be signs of foul play and no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene.

Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, recorded one of the most successful hip-hop songs of all time - Gangsta's Paradise. | ITV National News.

Sharing a picture of the pair embracing, he wrote: “RIP Coolio”. Rest in Gangsta’s Paradise my friend.” New York rapper Flava Flav also lamented the loss. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song. “I remember him being nothing but gracious. R I P.”

US rapper Coolio, best known for the hit classic 'Gangsta's Paradise', has been found dead at the age of 59, his manager has confirmed.

It had been a long road and a show of perseverance for him to reach the stage he did. The album’s opener ‘Fantastic Voyage’, for instance, had reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, had been part of the L.A.

US rapper Coolio has passed away unexpectedly at age 59. Artis Leon Ivey Jr, known professionally as Coolio, was found dead yesterday at his friend's Los ...

Runner up was television and radio presenter Terry Christian. He’s a sex pest who would perv on me all the time. Advertisement It just made my skin crawl. Coolio is just a dirty old man who is old enough to be my father.

In 2019, the Grammy Award winning rapper Coolio, who has died at the age of 59, played an intimate gig to about 100 people in Castlederg, County Tyrone. Even ...

"The time that he took to spend with my son, to talk music and to talk to everybody, there was no ego or anything from him, he was just really down to earth for somebody that's a Grammy Award winner landing in Castlederg." "He was a really nice guy and a really nice human being," Mr Doherty reflected when asked for his own tribute to the music star. "A lot of people thought it was a tribute act and a hoax and a PR stunt."

His signature song owned the airwaves and proved that an emcee could be gangster and gregarious.

In his later years he had become a creature of reality TV, with appearances on Big Brother UK and Marriage Boot Camp – all while remaining a robust concert draw. When he wasn’t topping the charts, he was walking on to awards shows, celebrity basketball games, sitcoms, films and even kids’ shows – providing the theme song for the Nickelodeon variety show Kenan & Kel. It didn’t help that Dangerous Minds, with its heavy-handed white savior themes, would go on to be regarded as something of a joke, too. It topped the charts in 14 countries and locked out the top two spots on Billboard’s US Hot 100 list on the way to going triple platinum. And yet for all of Coolio’s obvious skill, which really shows up in his early work (he recorded his first single in 1987), he’s easily summed up in one song: Gangsta’s Paradise. On Wednesday, the rapper – real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr – died at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, his manager said.

Fans have been paying tribute to Coolio following the news of his death, with particular praise being reserved for his Kenan & Kel theme tune.

The following year, Coolio achieved the biggest success of his career with ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, which served as the title track to his second studio album. A debut album, ‘It Takes A Thief’, eventually followed in 1994. But as a 90s baby I knew Coolio for the Kenan & Kel theme song. Propelled by the success of its single ‘Fantastic Voyage’, which peaked at Number Three in the Billboard Hot 100, ‘It Takes A Thief’ went on to achieve Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Coolio used to get everyone hyped when it was time to watch Kenan and Kel 😭 I miss them days man. R.I.P Coolio 🕊️ I need my orange soda to take this all in. I know Coolio made a name for himself in the 80s. and it gave us one of the best songs in the kenan and kel theme by coolio. the way tv and hip-hop were so connected in the 90s is something i’ll never forget. One of the few shows on Nickelodeon at that time (possibly the only one) that embraced hip-hop like this. [September 29, 2022] This one is for all the ‘90s kids.

Tributes to the rapper, producer and actor have been pouring in today from fellow musicians such as Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, as well as Hollywood icon ...

While it’s the most famous one to have done so, Gangsta’s Paradise isn’t the only song to have borrowed from Wonder’s 1976 track. Countries in which it went to number on the charts. The year before, it was given the Billboard Music Award for Top Hot 100 Song. Chart placement after re-entering the UK top 40 in 2009. YouTube views for the Gangsta’s Paradise video. UK sales as of 2017.

Before 'Gangsta's Paradise', Coolio was already a success in the rap world following his debut album, It Takes A Thief, but his 1995 pop-crossover hit made ...

‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ single-handedly changed the mainstream perception of hip-hop and showed the genre was just capable of displaying deep emotion as its musical counterparts. I did my parts, all the vocals and the chorus, and I did the choir. Doug and I were like, ‘Man, who can we get to rap on the song?’ I asked my homeboy Prodeje from South Central Cartel to do it, and Prodeje told me, ‘Man, you should do it by yourself!’ I said, ‘No, I want a rapper on it!’ Prodeje didn’t get on the song, so I thought of Coolio.” You know, I like to believe that it was divine intervention. That whole choir that you hear was actually me — I did all the parts from soprano down to tenor to the bass. The clean nature of ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ undoubtedly helped it become a mainstream hit, predominantly because it allowed radio stations to play the track without having to bleep out swear words.

It started in 1995 in a home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills, where two roommates — a music producer and a D.J. — used to compete over who could find the ...

remembered Coolio and his crew touring the world — Japan, France, Australia — and feeling like they were drawing “Michael Jackson-level” crowds that recited the lyrics along with them. “That was the one little moment in my whole history where there was a problem,” he noted, saying it was “very sweet” of Coolio to have told Vice he had made amends. “He put some magic on that track,” Rasheed said. “I’m not the kind of guy that has beef with people, because I go out of my way to make sure that people are fine with what I do,” he said. The rapper had a handful of hits before and after “Gangsta’s Paradise,” but nothing in his career would top the popularity and cultural influence of that track, which was featured in the 1995 movie “Dangerous Minds” and went on both to win a Grammy and inspire a Weird Al Yankovic [parody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg). While “Amish Paradise” gave Coolio’s song a boost, the track was a smash on its own. Coolio recalled writing his verses in one session, rapping about chasing his dreams and the uncertainty of whether he would live to 24 years old. “Gangsta’s Paradise” spent three weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 and was named the chart’s No. The song that it inspired, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” would change both of their lives and catapult an up-and-coming West Coast rapper named Coolio to global stardom. “I walked into the studio, and asked Doug, ‘Wow, whose track is that?’” Coolio told Rolling Stone. (born Larry Sanders), who features on the song, had already started collaborating with Rasheed on the track, he said in an interview, when Coolio wrote those lyrics. “It made him a household name worldwide.”

It became an anthem and is rightly considered perhaps the greatest hip hop track ever made for a film. The cinematic qualities of Coolio's visceral lyrics and ...

‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ wanted to be born; it wanted to come to life, and it chose me as the vessel.” The single was the first explicitly rap song to sell over a million copies. It flew to number one on both sides of the Atlantic and confirmed that Coolio’s career was about to skyrocket. As well as being a classic hip hop anthem, the film the song was attached to was also a huge hit. The cinematic qualities of Coolio’s visceral lyrics and the soulful refrain of L.V. For a while, in the mid-90s, it was entirely impossible to walk down any street without hearing this song blasting out of a stereo, no matter if you were in Los Angeles or Lyme Regis, this song was blaring out of your nearest speakers.

In 1995, Coolio combined street-tough lyrics with a pop sensibility - and rap would never be the same.

"She brought her son down to the shoot with her and she was cool. His only stipulation was that I had to take the curse words out." "For people that really like Gangsta's Paradise, that's all they really want to hear." And the rapper bristled when his song was lumped in with the so-called "gangster rap" scene. "In many ways, Gangsta's Paradise signalled the end of gangsta, or 'reality' rap as a cult. "I thought it was going to be a hood record," he told The Voice in 2017. "Then I can take them to a deeper level. "She was real nice," Coolio told Kiss FM's Rap show at the time. He was "raised by the street", immersed a life of crime and retribution. That whole choir that you hear was actually me - I did all the parts from soprano down to tenor to the bass." Coolio was 30 at the time the song was written, but the narrator is 23 and he doesn't know if he'll live to see 24. He earned the unwelcome nickname "Un-Coolio".

In 2019, the Grammy Award winning rapper Coolio, who has died at the age of 59, played an intimate gig to about 100 people in Castlederg, County Tyrone. Even ...

"The time that he took to spend with my son, to talk music and to talk to everybody, there was no ego or anything from him, he was just really down to earth for somebody that's a Grammy Award winner landing in Castlederg." "He was a really nice guy and a really nice human being," Mr Doherty reflected when asked for his own tribute to the music star. "A lot of people thought it was a tribute act and a hoax and a PR stunt."

The music world is mourning the loss of Coolio, the artist behind one of the most ever-persevering rap classics, “Gangsta's Paradise”. The song featured in ...

Audiences, however, seem to appreciate the film a little more, with a score of 64 percent. [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://wegotthiscovered.com/tag/michelle-pfeiffer/), seemingly reprising the role of her character from the film, walking down a hallway and confronting Coolio, asking him to tell her ‘what this is all about?’. [Coolio](https://wegotthiscovered.com/celebrities/gangsters-paradise-rapper-coolio-has-died-age-59/), the artist behind one of the most ever-persevering rap classics, “Gangsta’s Paradise”.

Coolio performing for US military Task Force Eagle. This file is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official ...

(Sadly, the music video is forever marred by the puzzling presence of Michelle Pfeiffer.) The song ends with a plea, as Coolio’s collaborator L.V. Tambourine Man,” was rightly maligned even in 1995 for trafficking in racist stereotypes. Coolio is subverting Psalm 23, a psalm of David expressing trust in God as shepherd. Something else needs to break the cycle. Among his many achievements was providing a new tune to a familiar staple of Jewish life.

Coolio, the rapper whose hits including “Gangsta's Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage,” died Wednesday at age 59.

He was sentenced to six months probation and fined $30,000. Rest In Peace, @Coolio.” [“Weird Al” Yankovic tweeted](https://twitter.com/alyankovic/status/1575312521497452546) “RIP Coolio” along with a picture of the two men hugging. [said on Twitter](https://twitter.com/icecube/status/1575295135516020737). And with his distinctive persona he would become a cultural staple, acting occasionally, starring in a reality show about parenting called “Coolio’s Rules,” providing a voice for an episode of the animated show “Gravity Falls” and providing the theme music for the Nickelodeon sitcom “Kenan & Kel.” 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The cause was not immediately clear.

Coolio, the "Gangsta's Paradise" rapper, appeared happy and healthy at the Houston airport, posing with fans just days before his death.

Rapper Vanilla Ice also performed that night and later told TMZ that he was “still in shock and freaking out” about his friend’s passing. He was 59. The “Rollin’ With My Homies” rapper died Wednesday, his longtime manager confirmed.