the causes of the rapper’s death remain unclear

DEAD COOLIO. After the sudden death of rapper Coolio, famous for the song “Gangsta’s Paradise”, an investigation is still underway to determine the cause of death.

Summary

[Mis à jour le 3 octobre à 10h03] Several days after the sudden death of Coolio, the questions remain: what are the circumstances of the death of the American rapper, Wednesday September 28, at 59 years old? The investigation to determine the cause of his death is still ongoing. Wednesday, September 28, 2022, the author of the famous tube Gangsta’s Paradise was found unresponsive in the bathroom of a friend in Los Angeles, who called the emergency services.

After trying to save him by performing CPR for 45 minutes, rescuers declared him officially dead. The next day, an investigation was opened to determine the circumstances of Coolio’s death. The tabloid TMZ reports the word of the police dispatched to the scene according to which no drugs were found in the bathroom. The criminal track is also, at this stage, excluded.

The rapper was due to perform in Germany this weekend, along with other singers from the 90s. For this, he had to renew his passport. His lifelong manager, Jarez Posey, tells us that Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, went to Las Vegas the day of his death, because the procedures were too slow in Los Angeles, where he lived. Last week, the singer had joined Vanilla Ice, during a concert of the latter. A show during which Vanilla Ice “was very focused”, so much he was “honored to have such a legend with him”. This was the last time Coolio performed on stage. Vanilla Ice told TMZ that he “briefly suspended touring following the death” of Coolio because “he doesn’t think he’s in the right frame of mind to put on a show.”

TMZ also reports that the rapper was spotted days before his death at the Houston airport, where he took selfies and signed autographs. Coolio had even invited some of the fans who had recognized him, during his next tour. In addition, the rapper’s merchandise site was taken over by fans, to the point where it crashed, due to too many people.

What caused Coolio’s death?

Coolio’s death was made public by the American specialized site TMZ. His manager, Jarez Posey, said the rapper went to a friend’s house in Los Angeles (United States) on Wednesday during the day. During his visit, he went into the bathroom of this house, without ever coming out. Worried not to see him return, the person with whom he was, whose identity has not been revealed, then discovered him lifeless on the ground. Despite the intervention of the emergency services, Coolio died on the spot. The causes of his death are not yet known. When help arrived, who hypothesized a cardiac arrest, the rapper was dead.

While an investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of this death, it appears, according to the first elements reported by the TMZ site, that no drugs or narcotic “consumption equipment” were found at the place of the death of the rapper. At this stage, the criminal trail also seems to have been ruled out, because no sign of such an act seems to have been perceived by the investigators. An autopsy will be performed on the body of the victim, as well as a toxicological test to try to shed light on the reasons for this sudden death.

Tributes to Coolio

Since the announcement of the disappearance of rapper Coolio, it is the world rap which mourns one of its most famous faces. “I am heartbroken over the passing of talented artist Coolio. Gone far too soon. As some of you know, I had the good fortune to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995. He had won a Grammy thanks to this brilliant song used for the soundtrack, which contributed greatly to the success of the film in my opinion. I remember an extremely kind man. 30 years later, I still have chills when I hear this song”, writes for example the American actress Michelle Pfeiffer, when Ice Cube laments “sad news”. Juicy J points to the “legend” that Coolio was, when MC Hammer writes, “He was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in my life. Real good guy.”

The rapper Coolio therefore mainly made himself known thanks to his title Gangsta’s Paradise. A hit released on August 9, 1995 which propelled him to the front of the stage, selling more than 6 million copies that year, the best annual figure. Adapted from Pastime Paradise of Stevie Wonder, the song evokes the life of gangsters. Dark words that made him world famous and allowing him to win, in 1996, a Grammy Award in the Best Solo Rap Performance category.

Biography of Coolio

Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey, was born on August 1, 1963 in Compton, California. It was in 1994 that he really got into music with the release of his first solo album, It takes a Thief. But it’s really a year later that he is placed on the front of the stage with his planetary title “Gangsta’s Paradise”. A second album follows, of the same name, then a third, My Soul, in 1997. But the latter did not achieve the expected success, signing the end of the rapper’s career. Subsequently, he made several appearances on TV by participating in British reality TV shows, but also in the Angels of reality TV, French program, in 2011. Coolio also had some legal troubles, including the looting of a store of clothing in 1997, the attack on his then-partner in 2013, or the possession of a loaded and stolen firearm in 2016.

From 2004 to 2007, Coolio was in a relationship with Afida Turner, the extravagant French reality TV personality who rose to fame in “Le loft” and who had fled to the United States. Of their relationship, very few elements have leaked, except that it was tumultuous and interspersed with several ruptures, before a definitive end. Since then, the two have crossed paths several times, not hesitating to let it be known on social networks. Afida Turner posted a photo with Coolio on her Instagram account on Thursday, following news of her death. “My god, Artis no! Coolio! Rest in peace” she simply wrote.

And to tell, in the columns of the Parisian : “With Artis, we had remained very close friends. We had seen each other again last April in Miami, we had made a video together. He lived in Las Vegas but each time he went to Miami, he m called and asked me to join him (…) We did some stuff in the studio together, we recorded a song (…) He was still extremely in demand, gave shows from Tuesday to Friday all over the world, I accompanied him sometimes.”

Who were the women of Coolio?

If he made himself known thanks to the tube Gangsta’s Paradise, rapper Coolio has also been talked about a lot for his private life. As we have said, the artist was in a relationship with Afida Turner in the 2000s, but also, before her, with Josefa Salinas, whom he had married in 1996 to divorce in 2000. Coolio was also married to Mary Shittu, a model. The media The Sun reports other names of the rapper’s former companions, in particular Mimi Ivey and Anabella Bellesi.

From these different relationships were born many children: four with Josefa Salinas (three girls, Artisha, Brandi and Jackie and a boy, Artis), but also six others born of different unions: Grtis Ivey, Milan Ivey, Darius Ivey, Zhaneand Ivey, Kate Ivey and Shayne Ivey.

Coolio, in trouble with the law

If the private life of the rapper has caused so much ink to flow, it is also because Coolio was known by the judicial services for accusations of violence. In April 2013, according to the American press, the rapper allegedly hit his girlfriend at the time, Anabella and ran over her with his car. The case was finally dismissed, due to lack of evidence against Coolio.