‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ Rapper Coolio Passes Away at 59, Heartwarming Tributes Pour In From Snoop Dogg and More

• Grammy-winning American rapper Coolio passed away in Los Angeles, his manager Jarez confirmed
• Jarez said the rapper was found unresponsive on the floor while visiting a friend, but paramedics could not save him
• Coolio started rapping in the 1980s but gained stardom in 1995 after releasing the timeless Gangsta's Paradise hit

Famed US rapper Coolio, real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, has passed away aged 59.

Coolio dies at friend's house

TMZ reports that the artiste, who shot to stardom in 1995 for his Gangsta's Paradise hit, died on Wednesday, September 28, in Los Angeles, California.

Coolio was visiting a friend late Wednesday when he passed away.

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According to the rapper's manager Jarez, Coolio went to the bathroom at a friend's house but did not come out for a long time.

The friend unsuccessfully tried calling out to him, and when he finally went in, he found Coolio unresponsive on the floor.

The friend called paramedics, who declared the artiste dead on the scene. Jarez said that the medics suspect he suffered from cardiac arrest, but an official cause of death has not been determined.

Coolio started making music in the 1980s and won a Grammy for Gangsta's Paradise, which was part of the soundtrack for the movie Dangerous Minds.

BBC reports that the rapper recorded eight studio albums and won an American Music Award and three MTV Video Music Awards.

His other hits include It's All the Way Live, Fantastic Voyage and Sumpin' New. Coolio was active in music before his death, as he was in the middle of a tour with other 90s stars, including Vanilla Ice.

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Tributes for Coolio poured in from the hip-hop music fraternity.

“Gangstas paradise. R. I. P,” Snoop Dogg wrote.

“I’m going to miss you brother. You where the coolest. My heart is with all the Fam. Soooo sad,” Vanilla captioned a video of Coolie on stage.

Young Dolph shot dead

Kenya's leading news website, TUKO.co.ke reported that Cut It rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis on Wednesday, November 17.

The rapper was gunned down after going into a store to buy cookies, police confirmed.

Young Dolph, who had released seven studio albums, was survived by a son and daughter.

Source: TUKO.co.ke