A good six months after his death at the age of 59, the cause of death for US rapper Coolio should have been clarified. His manager Jarez Posey said he died of an overdose of the painkiller fentanyl. There was initially no comment from the coroner’s office. Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., Coolio was best known for his 1995 single “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the album of the same name.
The song, a smash hit in the movie Dangerous Minds, won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance the following year. Manager Posey said the rapper’s family was notified Thursday by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office that the singer died of a fentanyl overdose. Manager Posey further explained that the rapper’s children plan to honor their father in future documentaries and film projects.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1963, Coolio began performing as part of the West Coast hip hop scene after moving to Compton, California. He released his debut album It Takes a Thief in 1994 and had a top ten hit with the single Lakeside. At the end of September last year, the musician was found dead at a friend’s house in Los Angeles.
