Late Wednesday night, Hip-Hop was rocked by the news of the death of Coolio. Among the classic songs created by the late rapper was the theme song for the popular Nickelodeon show Kenan & Kel.
In addition to performing the single, Coolio appeared in the opening music video for the scene.
Speaking with TMZ, Kel remembered moments with Coolio and highlighted how amazing the rapper was.
“Every time I was around Coolio, it was always a good time,” Mitchell said. “He just brought a special kind of magic to that theme song. I met him on ‘All That’ first, before the theme song, and we were in a ‘Good Burger’ sketch together. He was an amazing actor and had great comedic timing.
“We just stayed in contact all these years and that theme song is so iconic.”
Fans of Coolio are mourning the loss of the rapper, whose discography boasted hits like “Gangster’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage.” Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was pronounced dead yesterday at 59.
What was Coolio’s cause of death?
Coolio’s talent manager Sheila Finegan told TMZ, “We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away Wednesday afternoon. He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. Please have Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”
A cause of death has not yet been determined, however, it is suspected the rapper died by cardiac arrest. His longtime friend and manager Jarez said that Coolio was at a friend’s house in Los Angeles and had gone to the bathroom, but did not return for awhile. His friend called for him, to no response, and eventually went in and found him lying on the floor.
The friend called EMTs, who pronounced Coolio dead on the scene.
TMZ reports that police have opened an investigation into the death of Coolio, however, they do not suspect any foul play was involved. There were also reportedly no drugs or paraphernalia found at the scene of his death.
Popular 90s rapper Coolio has sadly passed away at the age of 59. Hip-Hop has said goodbye to many rappers over the years but, most of the time, it is premature. Long Live Coolio West Coast rapper Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey, Jr., passed away on Wednesday in Los Angeles. The news […]
Coolio’s manager, Jarez Posey, confirmed that rapper’s passing shortly after the news broke. Posey explained a friend found the “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper in the bathroom of at a house in Los Angeles before an ambulance was called.
398150 16: Rapper Coolio performs at the taping of a public greeting for U.S. troops overseas December 5, 2001 in Los Angeles, CA. Coolio will play the holiday greeting at his upcoming concerts for armed forces. (Photo by Sebastian Artz/Getty Images)
Authorities suspect that he suffered a heart attack. Police launched a death investigation but they said there isn’t evidence leading them to believe in the involvement of foul play.
Coolio’s talent manager, Sheila Finegan, issued a statement following his death. “We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away Wednesday afternoon,” Finegan said. “He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly. Please have Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”
Coolio blew up on the West Coast with the release of 1995’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” though he’d built a reputation throughout California during his come-up. He locked in records with Ice Cube and Tupac before his break-out hit record, which landed in Michelle Pfeiffer’s 1995 film Dangerous Minds.
Pfeiffer was among those who shared tributes on their timeline following his death. The acclaimed actress described him as “nothing but gracious. She added “Gangsta’s Paradise” Grammy award-winning status was equally important in propelling the film’s success.
“Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist @coolio. A life cut entirely too short,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Aside from Pfeiffer, fellow hip-hop legends paid tribute to him. Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, MC Hammer, and more. Ice Cube, who worked alongside Coolio on “Colorblind” off of Death Certificate, reflected on Coolio’s rise.
“This is sad news. I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace @Coolio,” he wrote on Instagram.
This is sad news. I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace @Cooliohttps://t.co/vCeyn08Vsi
Ahead of his success in the mid 90s, Coolio was formerly a WC and The Maad Circle member before inking a deal. In the subsequent years, he inked a deal with Tommy Boy Records where he released, It Takes A Thief.
Yesterday, the world learned that Coolio, the legendary rapper behind “Gangsta’s Paradise,” died at 59 years old. Reactions have since poured out, including a meaningful one from “Weird Al” Yankovic. He shared a photo of Coolio and himself (more on the picture in a bit) and wrote simply, “RIP Coolio.”
Coolio is of course a major part of Yankovic’s legacy thanks to the latter’s “Amish Paradise.” The song, a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” is one of Yankovic’s biggest hits: It’s his most-streamed song on Spotify and one of a handful of Yankovic songs to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The rapper was initially not pleased with Yankovic’s parody but later expressed regret over his response to it on multiple occasions. In a 2011 interview, for example, he said, “I sat down, and I really thought it out. I was like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I was like, ‘Coolio, who the f*ck do you think you are? He did Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson didn’t get mad..’ […] I’ve since apologized to him. Again, that was so stupid. […] That was a stupid thing for me to do. That was one of the dumbest things I did in my career.”
As for the photo Yankovic chose to share, it’s a significant one. The pic shows the two hugging at the XM Satellite booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. As Vulture notes, this occasion marked the pair’s public reconciliation after years of tension between them due to “Amish Paradise.” Yankovic later said of the encounter, “I don’t remember what we said to each other exactly, but it was all very friendly and after a minute, he was gone. I turned to the next person in line and said, ‘Did that really just happen?’”
The Hip Hop community is grieving yet another devastating loss with the passing of Coolio. On Wednesday (September 28), the West Coast legend was pronounced dead after his longtime manager, Jarez Posey, found him laid out on the bathroom floor of a friend’s home. He was 59.
Fans and friends of Coolio flooded social media with memories and kind words about the late the star and his culture shifting legacy. He found success in the mid 1990s with three chart-topping albums, including 1995’s Gangsta’s Paradise. The video for GP goes down in history as one of the most prolific visuals of the gangsta rap era. It featured R&B singer L.V., as well as an appearance from Golden Globe winning actress Michelle Pfeiffer. The Antoine Fuqua directed visual has over 1 billion streams on Youtube.
Shortly after his death, Michelle shared a portion of the video, honoring her late friend with the caption, “Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist @coolio. A life cut entirely too short.” Rest In Peace, Coolio.
Quotable Lyrics As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I take a look at my life and realize there’s not much left ‘Cause I’ve been blastin’ and laughin’ so long, that Even my mama thinks that my mind is gone
Rapper and actor Coolio, real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr., has died at the age of 59. Coolio achieved major success in the mid 90s, with his iconic song “Gangsta’s Paradise” reaching Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1995 and earning him a GRAMMY the following year.
According to TMZ, his longtime manager told reporters the Tommy Boy artist went to use the restroom at a friend’s house on Wednesday afternoon and did not come out for an extended period of time, eventually being found on the floor unresponsive.
Friends called paramedics, who pronounced Coolio dead on the scene. While no official cause of death has been announced, EMT’s suspect he may have suffered cardiac arrest.
The Compton-raised entertainer sold over 17 million records worldwide, and acted in dozens of films, Dangerous Minds.
Coolio is dead at 59, according to TMZ. The outlet has reported that manager Jarez said that the rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was found on the bathroom floor of a friend’s house on Wednesday, September 21, after excusing himself. His friend called for him and then eventually checked and called EMTs. Coolio was pronounced dead on the scene with EMTs suspecting that he suffered cardiac arrest.
There’s no further information at this time, but fans are mourning on Twitter and sharing their favorite Coolio songs, including the Kenan & Kel theme song. He was most known for being a rapper, especially for his ’90s albums It Takes a Thief, Gangsta’s Paradise, and My Soul. He was also a record producer and actor.
In our 2016 interview with him, we asked what he wanted to be remembered for when he was gone. He answered, “Hey, the only thing I truly wanna be remembered for: I want people to say that he was a real motherf*cker that was hella cool. I wanna be remembered for just being a cool ass person. And being intelligent. If people don’t remember my music, my cooking, or my film work, it doesn’t matter. I just want people to say, ‘That was a cool motherf*cker and he always tried to educate me. He was always talking about something that was gonna make me a better person.’ I said it once and I will say it again: Don’t do as I do, do as I say. I’ve made hella mistakes in my life, and I’ll probably make some more. Those that I try to teach, they’re not allowed to make the same mistakes that I’ve made — that’s why I’ve made them so you don’t have to.”
Coolio has reportedly died at age 59. According to reports, the West Coast legend, who rose to fame in the 90’s with timeless classics like “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage”, was visiting a friend late Wednesday afternoon when he passed away. His longtime manager, Jarez, told TMZ that Coolio went to the bathroom at his friend’s house, but when he didn’t come after a while, the friend kept calling for him, and eventually and found Coolio laying on the floor.
Paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after. However, the platinum selling rapper, Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was pronounced dead on the scene. Fans flocked to social media to share their condolences and memories of the late legend following the news.
the way tv and hip-hop were so connected in the 90s is something i’ll never forget. and it gave us one of the best songs in the kenan and kel theme by coolio. rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/D4t9H28b1e
Coolio for sure one of my first super early childhood examples of a truly eccentric rapper. And crackin on ppl for having coolio braids was definitely a thing for a long time lol. Plus the Keenan & Kel theme song? Damn. He was everywhere. Fly high to a legend.
Last year, Coolio made his return to music with an official comeback single entitled, “Out Fa The Bag” — his first track since re-signing with Tommy Boy records.
An official cause of death has not been revealed. Prayers to the late legend’s family.
