Coolio, the American rapper known for his song Gangsta’s Paradise of 1995 and died in 2022, succumbed to an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a medical source said Thursday.
The Grammy-winning musician, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died last September at the age of 59 at a friend’s house in Los Angeles.
The medical examiner’s report released Thursday by Los Angeles County claims the rapper died of a fentanyl overdose and adds that the musician suffered from heart disease and asthma. He had also taken phencyclidine, or PCP, a psychedelic drug that can cause serious mental or emotional disturbances shortly before, according to the same source.
Jarez Posey, Coolio’s longtime friend and manager, told celebrity news site TMZ at the time that Coolio was found unconscious in a friend’s bathroom and pronounced dead at the scene.
Coolio began his rap career in California in the late 80s, but shot to worldwide fame in 1995 when he released Gangsta’s Paradise for the soundtrack of the film Dangerous Minds.
He received the Best Rap Solo Performance award for the track at the Grammy Awards the following year. The song sold millions of copies worldwide, becoming Billboard’s number one song in 1995.
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