Gangsta's Paradise rapper Coolio passes away at the age of 59.
Los Angeles rapper Coolio passed away on Wednesday, according to his longtime manager Jarez Posey, who confirmed the news to ABC News.
Coolio gained national attention in the 1990s with his Grammy-winning single "Gangsta's Paradise." He was 59.
Emergency services were summoned when Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., failed to emerge from the bathroom on Wednesday afternoon
while at a friend's residence. Although the cause of death has not yet been established, an inquiry is still ongoing.In the 1990s, Coolio gained notoriety and was
nominated for six Grammy Awards. In 1996, his best-selling song "Gangsta's Paradise," which features vocalist L.V., earned him the prize for Best Rap Solo Performance.
The song, which incorporates "Pastime Paradise" by Stevie Wonder from 1976, is among Billboard's selection of the 100 best songs of all time.
Along with WC, Big Gee, and DJ Crazy Toones, Coolio, who was born in Pennsylvania and later emigrated to Compton, California,
originally rose to prominence in hip-hop during the early 1990s as a member of the Los Angeles-based group WC and the Maad Circle.