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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rapper Coolio, one of 1990s hip-hop’s big names with hits like “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage,” died Wednesday at the age of 59, his manager said. said.
Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, his longtime manager Jareth Posey told The Associated Press. The cause was not immediately clear.
Coolio won a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance of the 1995 hit “Gangstas Paradise,” from the soundtrack to Michelle Pfeiffer’s “Dangerous Minds,” which samples Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Passtime Paradise.” was awarded.
He was nominated for five other Grammy Awards during a career that began in the late 1980s.
Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh, Coolio moved to Compton, California, where he attended community college. He worked as a volunteer firefighter and airport security guard before dedicating himself to hip hop his scene full time.
His career began in 1994 with his debut album, It Takes a Thief, released on Tommy Boy Records. Its opening his track “Fantastic Voyage” reached his No. 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
A year later, “Gangsta’s Paradise” became a number one single, with its dark opening lyrics:
“As I walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I looked back at my life and realized that there was very little left because I was bursting with laughter the whole time. is gone.
Social media lit up with reactions to the unexpected death.
“This is sad news” Ice Cube said on Twitter“I’m seeing this guy rise to the top of the industry first-hand. Rest in peace @Coolio.”
“Peaceful Journey Brothers” Questlove tweeted.
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