Coolio: Gangsta’s Paradise rapper dies aged 59

Mujidu Victor

A well-known American rapper of “Gangsta’s Paradise”, Artis Leon Ivey Jr. alias Coolio died at the age of 59 in Los Angeles, according to an official report from his longtime manager, Jarez Posey.

According to Jarez, Coolio passed away at a friend’s house in Los Angeles.

He informed the Associated Press and other media outlets including an American syndicated entertainment and gossip news television (TMZ), Rolling Stone and Variety.

An American rapper, Artis Leon Ivey Jr., famously known as Coolio dies aged 59.Image: [Courtesy]

The root cause of his sudden death is not yet confirmed.

Coolio is best known for his 1995 single Gangsta’s Paradise, for which he won a Grammy for best solo rap performance.

He was nominated for five other Grammys during a career that began in the late 1980s.

His career took off with the 1994 release of his debut album, It Takes a Thief, on Tommy Boy Records. Its opening track, Fantastic Voyage, would reach No 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A year later, Gangsta’s Paradise would become a No 1 single, with its haunting opening lyrics: “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death/ I take a look at my life and realize there’s nothin’ left/ ’cause I’ve been blastin’ and laughin’ so long that/ even my mama thinks that my mind is gone.”

His 1994 first selling album topped in United States and was a global hit topping the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand charts.

The second-best-selling single in the UK during 1995 was “Gangsta’s Paradise.”

However, the song raised controversy when Coolio claimed that comedy musician “Weird Al” Yankovic had not asked for permission to make his parody of “Gangsta’s Paradise”, titled “Amish Paradise”.

Originally “Gangsta’s Paradise” was not meant to be included on one of Coolio’s studio albums, but its success led to Coolio not only putting it on his next album but also making it the title track.