Coolio Dead At 59

• Rapper and actor Coolio, best known for his 1995 smash hit “Gangster’s Paradise,” died Wednesday afternoon at the age of 59. The news was initially reported by TMZ, which noted that Coolio was visiting a friend late Wednesday afternoon, went to the bathroom, but didn’t emerge for a while. The friend eventually went in and found Coolio laying on the floor. Paramedics were called and pronounced Coolio dead on the scene — his manager Jarez Posey told TMZ the paramedics suspect he had suffered cardiac arrest. An official cause of death has not yet been determined.

Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. on Aug. 1, 1963 in Monessen, PA, Coolio later moved to Compton, CA where he joined the hip-hop group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991. In 1994, Coolio signed with Tommy Boy Records and released his debut album, It Takes a Thief, which, powered by the hit single, “Fantastic Voyage,” peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart and was certified platinum.

As Variety reports, “Gangster’s Paradise” was recorded for the 1995 Michelle Pfeiffer film Dangerous Minds, quickly became one of the most popular rap songs of all time, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and ending 1995 as the No. 1 single of that year in the United States. The following year, “Gangsta’s Paradise” was nominated for Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Rap Solo Performance, with Coolio winning the latter. “Weird Al” Yankovic later successfully parodied the song as “Amish Paradise.” By last night “Gangster’s Paradise” was No. 1 on the iTunes Top 100 Songs chart.

Coolio later went on to appear in a number of TV shows and movies, appeared on Fear Factor in 2001 and hosted a cooking show, Cooking With Coolio, which spawned a companion cookbook.

• Benztown has made available a Coolio Audio Tribute, written by Thomas Green, voiced by Mike Santos and produced by Royce Stevenson.