Rapper Coolio, whose 1990s successes included "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Fantastic Voyage," died on Wednesday at the age of 59, according to his manager.
Longtime manager Jarez Posey confirmed to The Associated Press that Coolio passed away at a friend's house in Los Angeles. How he died is not confirmed yet.
"Gangsta's Paradise," a 1995 hit from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer movie "Dangerous Minds," which sampled Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise," earned Coolio a Grammy for best solo rap performance. The song was played nonstop on MTV.
In 1996, during a bitter conflict between the two coasts' hip-hop scenes that would soon claim the lives of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., he won the Grammy and reached the height of his career.
Coolio generally avoided being caught up in the fighting.
Coolio went to Compton, California after being born to Artists Leon Ivey Jr. in Monessen, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh. When he was a teenager, his mother sent him to Northern California for a while because she thought the city was too unsafe.
In interviews, he stated that he began rapping at the age of 15, and by the time he was 18, he knew it was what he wanted to do with his life. However, he decided to attend community college, work as a volunteer firefighter, and work in airport security first, all before dedicating himself fully to the hip-hop scene.
With the 1994 publication of "It Takes a Thief," his debut album on Tommy Boy Records, his career took off. "Fantastic Voyage," the album's lead single, would peak at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A year later, “Gangsta's Paradise” would become a No. 1 single, with its dark opening lyrics:
“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realize there’s not much left, ‘cause I’ve been blastin’ and laughin’ so long, that even my mama thinks that my mind is gone.”
Social media lit up with reactions to the unexpected death.
“This is sad news,” Ice Cube said on Twitter. “I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace, @Coolio."
Written by : Lara Al-Nimri
