Coolio, the Grammy-winning rapper best remembered for his number-one single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” has passed away at the age of 59, according to a statement from his representative to Insider.
The singer of Gangsta’s Paradise had also struggled with a chronic illness since he was a little child. The artist struggled to finish a brief five-song set in Brooklyn back in February 2016.
The Fantastic Voyage singer was having an asthma attack while playing a spur-of-the-moment set at Brooklyn’s Hill Country Barbeque Market.
The celebrity has battled asthma his entire lifeCoolio, the Grammy-winning rapper best remembered for his number-one single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” has passed away at the age of 59, according to a statement from his representative to Insider.
The singer of Gangsta’s Paradise had also struggled with a chronic illness since he was a little child. The artist struggled to finish a brief five-song set in Brooklyn back in February 2016. The Fantastic Voyage singer was having an asthma attack while playing a spur-of-the-moment set at Brooklyn’s Hill Country Barbeque Market.
The celebrity has battled asthma his entire life Coolio carved a route to hip-hop superstardom unlike any other, going from a bookish, asthmatic child to a crack addict to a popular recording juggernaut.
The rapper, whose full name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., first gained notoriety in the late 1980s on the Los Angeles rap scene, but his celebrity surged in the mid-1990s after “Gangsta’s Paradise” was utilized in the 1995 movie “Dangerous Minds” with Michelle Pfeiffer.
In a statement, Sheila Finegan, a manager for Coolio, said, “We are grieved by the loss of our great friend and client, Coolio, who passed away this afternoon.” He had a tremendous impact on the world through the skill he possessed, and he will be sorely missed.
The statement went on to say, “Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed his music around the world and to everyone who has been in touch with us on his passing. “Please remember Coolio’s loved ones in your prayers.
The rapper’s manager, Jarez Posey, later informed Rolling Stone that he had passed away, but he did not provide a cause of death.
Among his most well-known hits were “Fantastic Voyage” and “C U When U Get There,” and he found success with albums like “It Takes a Thief,” “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and “My Soul.”
Between his 1994 debut album “It Takes a Thief” and his 2009 final studio album, he produced eight solo albums. Beyond simply the airwaves, his music’s cultural influence created a lasting impression.
Originally from Pennsylvania, where he had moved to attend Compton Community College before beginning a successful career, his hit single from his debut album, “Fantastic Voyage,” sampled the song of the same name by the Funk group Lakeside. The song’s success catapulted him into the Los Angeles rap scene. Eventually, in 1994, “Fantastic Voyage” reached the third position on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the ensuing years, Coolio’s distinctively hilarious, contemplative rap style grew in popularity, and in 1996, for the song “Gangsta’s paradise,” he received a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance.
The same year, he produced “Aw, Here It Goes (Kenan and Kel Show Theme Song),” the renowned theme song for the children’s Nickolodeon program “Kenan and Kel Show,” which starred then-teenage performers Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell.
Along with friends, he later took part in the first hip-hop charity initiative for AIDS with the Red Hot Foundation in 1996, releasing an album to raise funds and awareness of the condition in Black communities.
Being an asthmatic his entire life, he also supported individuals with respiratory illnesses throughout his lifetime. He admitted in 2016 that he “might have died” after having an asthma attack during a concert and had to borrow an inhaler from a spectator.
In his later years, Coolio continued to put out independent music and dabbled in cooking, starting a web series called “Cookin’ with Coolio” and publishing a cookbook to go along with it.
Less than two weeks before his passing, he performed at Chicago’s Riot Fest, and this weekend he was due to perform in Germany.
He recorded eight studio albums throughout a four-decade career and took home three MTV Video Music Awards and an American Music Award.
Coolio was still performing up to the time of his passing. He was currently on tour with other 90s musicians including Vanilla Ice and Young MC, and they recently performed in Texas.
