The cause of Coolio’s death is made public
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, hip-hop icon Coolio overdosed on fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine in September of 2022. Other factors were recent phencyclidine usage, asthma, and unspecified cardiomyopathy. Responders found Coolio unresponsive in a friend’s Los Angeles home’s bathroom and pronounced him deceased at the scene.
Musicians and famous people have been paying respect to Coolio ever since they learned of his passing. Many celebrities, including Weird Al Yankovic, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Kenan Thompson, and Questlove, have taken to social media to express their sorrow at the artist’s passing.
Actress Michelle Pfeiffer, who appeared in the music video for Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” was likewise devastated by the news. She posted a snippet from the music video to Instagram with the caption, “A life cut entirely too short…Sending love and light to his family. Rest in Power, Artis Leon Ivey Jr.”
Coolio started out as a student at Compton Community College before making the transition to rapping. He was born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, in 1963. His tune “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which he recorded with singer L.V. in 1995, spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and earned him a Grammy for best rap solo performance the following year.
Coolio reflected on the popularity of “Gangsta’s Paradise” in a recent interview with The Irish Examiner. This is the most impressive aspect of Gangsta’s Paradise, and I take great pride in it. It wasn’t until four years ago that it appeared on Tommy Boy, YouTube’s hip-hop channel. In his estimation, it took four years to accumulate a billion views.
The death of Coolio, who was well-known for his originality and musical brilliance, was a devastating blow to the music business. His music will live on for years to come, inspiring and moving people even after his untimely demise.