'Gangsta's Paradise' Rapper Coolio Dies At 59; Friends And Fans Pay Tribute

Grammy-winning rapper Coolio, best known for his 1995 hit, "Gangsta's Paradise" died Wednesday at the age of 59.

Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was visiting a friend in the afternoon when he died, the rapper's manager, Jarez Posey, told TMZ.

Jarez said Coolio's friend found the rapper lying on the bathroom floor and called paramedics to revive him. Emergency responders arrived and pronounced the rapper dead on the scene.

Paramedics suspect Coolio suffered cardiac arrest although no cause of death has yet been released.

No signs of foul play were reported in the sudden death. Furthermore, no drugs or paraphernalia were found at the scene. An autopsy and toxicology test will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

Coolio rose to fame when he released the Grammy-winning "Gangsta's Paradise" in 1995 with an album of the same name. The track was also featured and on the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer-starring film, "Dangerous Minds."

He also recorded "Aw, Here It Goes!" which was used for the opening sequence of Nickelodeon's "Kenan & Kel" in 1996. He released five other studio albums, "Coolio.com" in 2001, "El Cool Magnifico" in 2002, "The Return of the Gangsta" in 2006, "Steal Hear" in 2008 and "From the Bottom 2 the Top" in 2009.

Following the announcement of Coolio's death, fans took to Twitter to express their sadness over the passing of one of the most notable names in the hip-hop scene.

A fan tweeted an old music video of the rapper and wrote, "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."

Another devoted fan commented, "Coolio is dead. I can't believe I wrote that. Only 59. If you're Gen X, you know and respect. Gangstas Paradise."

A K-pop fan also tweeted snaps from the time BTS met with one of their greatest influencers – Coolio and wrote, "Rest In Peace Coolio☹️ your name will always be cemented in hiphop, and thank you for being there for the Tannies since the beginning."

Snoop Dogg also paid tribute to his friend and wrote on his Instagram page, "Gangstas paradise. R. I. P. 🙏🏽🌹 🕊 ♿️🚾. @coolio."

Another hip-hop legend, Ice Cube also tweeted, "This is sad news. I witness first hand this man's grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace @Coolio."

Aside from music, Coolio was also a big lover of food and released a cookbook "Cookin' With Coolio," in 2009. He also competed in the Food Network series "Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off" in 2012 where he won second place.