GRAMMY-winning 90's hip-hop icon Coolio has died - he was just 59. According to reports, the rapper - who was born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. - was visiting a friend in Los Angeles when he went to use the rest room. When he didn't return, the friend reportedly went looking and found Coolio on the floor.
While paramedics were called, the musician was pronounced dead at the scene. Though an official cause of death hasn't been revealed, Coolio's long-time manager Jarez tells TMZ that paramedics suspected Coolio suffered cardiac arrest.
While Coolio came onto the music scene during the 80s, his fame exploded in the mid 90's with his worldwide hit, "Fantastic Voyage." But his legacy was cemented with the success of "Gangsta's Paradise," the theme song for the 1995 film, "Dangerous Minds," starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Not surprisingly, the reaction from fans and Coolio's famous friends has been intense. In Pfeiffer's case, she took to Instagram to offer her thoughts. "Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist @coolio," she writes. "A life cut entirely too short. As some of you may know I was lucky enough to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995. He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack - which I think was the reason our film saw so much success. I remember him being nothing but gracious. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song. Sending love and light to his family. Rest in Power, Artis Leon Ivey Jr.
(Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
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