American rapper Coolio has died at the age of 59 from fentanyl use, his manager Jarel “Jarez” Posey revealed Thursday.
The rapper’s family also told US media that “traces of heroin and methamphetamine” were also in his system. Artis Leon Ivey Jr, nicknamed Coolio, died on September 28 following a cardiac arrest. His body was found at a friend’s house. But the exact cause of his death was still not known.
Coolio had been revealed to the general public in 1995 thanks to his hit Gangsta’s Paradise recorded for the film Dangerous Minds, which starred Michelle Pfeiffer. The following year, he won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance.
Artis Leon Ivey wasn’t just a producer and rapper, he was also an actor, who made guest appearances on shows like The Nanny, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as reality shows like Celebrity Big Brother. He also published a Cookin’With Coolio cookbook and participated in a cooking competition called Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.