Coolio.Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty
More than six months after he wasfound dead at a friend’s housein Los Angeles, a cause of death for rapper Coolio has been revealed.
The hip-hop star, 59, died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine on Sept. 28, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.
TMZ was first to reportthe news.
Cardiomyopathy is a disease that affects the heart muscle, and can make it stiffen, enlarge or thicken, making it difficult for the heart to properly pump blood to the rest of the body, according to theCleveland Clinic. Phencyclidine, also known as PCP, is a street drug that causes hallucinations.
Coolio.Mindy Small/FilmMagic
According toTMZ, Coolio’s longtime spokesperson said the late musician went to the bathroom at a friend’s house. When he didn’t come out, the friend called his name but he didn’t answer. They then found Coolio — born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. — on the floor.
The friend called for help, per the outlet, and once responders arrived, Coolio was pronounced dead.
Since the announcement, fellow musicians and celebritiespaid tributeto him on social media likeWeird Al Yankovic,Ice Cube,Snoop Dogg,Kenan Thompson,Questloveand more.
Dangerous MindsstarMichelle Pfeiffer, who starred in Coolio’s music video for “Gangsta’s Paradise” — the lead single off the 1995 film’s soundtrack — was among the first to mourn the artist’s loss.
“Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist@coolio,” she wrote alongside a clip of “Gangsta’s Paradise” video. “A life cut entirely too short.”
She added, “As some of you may know I was lucky enough to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995. He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack - which I think was the reason our film saw so much success.”
Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania in 1963, Coolio later moved to Compton, California, where he attended Compton Community College before becoming a rapper.
Coolio released the hit single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” featuring singer L.V., in 1995. The song topped theBillboardHot 100 for three weeks and won the Grammy Award for best rap solo performance at the 1996 Grammys.
In an interview withThe Irish Examinerin July, the rapper looked back at the track’s success. “You make music and you never think about what it’s going to do and what it’s not going to do,” he said at the time. “This is the amazing thing about ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ and I’m proud of it. It only got put up on YouTube on Tommy Boy [the hip-hop platform] four years ago. It reached a billion views in four years.”
He added, “I reached a billion the same week50 Centreached a billion with ‘In Da Club’. It took ‘In Da Club’ 17 years to reach a billion. It took me four.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
