Coolio reached his peak in the 90’s topping the charts with hits such as “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage” Coolio’s friend and manager Jarez Posey notified CNN on Thursday, September 29th, 2022 of the celebrity rapper’s passing. The circumstances that brought about this tragic loss is still unknown. 

Here were the details after CNN contacted the authorities to verify. Capt. Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that firefighters and paramedics responded to a call on the 2900 block of South Chesapeake Ave. at 4 p.m. local time for reports of a medical emergency. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive male and performed “resuscitation efforts for approximately 45 minutes.” The patient was determined dead just before 5:00pm on the day of his passing

The autopsy did not show any cause for Coolio’s death. Authorities are conducting further investigations on the cause of death. 

“We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client,” a statement provided to CNN from Coolio’s talent manager Sheila Finegan said.

“He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. Thank you to everyone worldwide who has listened to his music and to everyone who has been reaching out regarding his passing. Please have Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips also offered his condolences by sharing some memories of the artist.

“I am absolutely stunned. Coolio was a friend and one of the warmest, funniest people I’ve ever met. We spent an amazing time together making Red Water in Capetown and we loved going head to head in the kitchen. He was one of a kind. Epic, Legendary and I’ll miss him,” Phillips said in a tweet.

Former NBA player Matt Bonner also recalled time spent with Coolio, saying in a Twitter post the rapper was a “huge hoops fan… we hosted him at a game a few years back… biggest crowd of all-time at a Spurs Overtime concert.”

Coolio was raised in Compton, California, according to a bio on his official website.

Coolio spoke to the Los Angeles Times in 1994, he talked about how he had overcome his drug habits by becoming a firefighter. He ran every day and learned lots of discipline by changing his lifestyle.

“I wasn’t looking for a career, I was looking for a way to clean up – a way to escape the drug thing,” he told the publication. “It was going to kill me and I knew I had to stop. Firefighting training was the discipline I needed. We ran every day. I wasn’t drinking or smoking or doing the stuff I usually did.” – Coolio

Coolio started his career rapping in the 80’s, he was well known in the underground scene. “Fantastic Voyage” put Coolio on the map in the world of music. He then released “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the “Dangerous Minds” movie soundtrack. The late artist received a Grammy in 1996 for the song. 

Coolio’s music will still continue to thrive and be shared in this digital world. With streaming apps and platforms like YouTube Coolio’s music will live on and so will his talent and legacy. In July 2022, the song reached a milestone of one billion views on YouTube.

Because he didn’t use any slang or trendy words in his songs, Coolio referred to his music as being timeless. Learn more in this recent interview. In his career Coolio has sold over 17 million records in his career.

Coolio has made many tv appearances as well on “Celebrity Cook Off’ and “Celebrity Chopped”. He also has a place in the heart of many millennials with his work on the theme song of the show Kenan and Kel, and Dexter’s Laboratory. 

Coolio has definitely left his mark on the world and will be remembered throughout history. 

Rest well Coolio.

Written By IG@ Soexquizit

Gonzalez, S. (2022, September 29). Coolio, ‘gangsta’s paradise’ rapper, dead at 59. CNN. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/28/entertainment/coolio-obit/index.html CNN’s Megan Thomas, Cheri Mossburg and Taylor Romine contributed to this CNN report.