Rapper Coolio’s cause of death has been confirmed. A family spokesman announced Thursday that the star was killed by fentanyl…
Coolio, the Gangsta’s Paradise performer, who died last September aged 59, was allegedly killed by fentanyl. A family rep for 1990s star rapper Jarel (Jarez) Posey told online gossip media TMZ on Thursday that traces of the powerful opioid pain reliever, used as a drug and far more potent than heroin or morphine, have been found.
This relative of Coolio also stated that investigators had also found traces of heroin and methamphetamines in his body at the time of his death. The star’s severe asthma and decades of smoking also played a role in his death, as the revelations revealed his body was unable to fight back.
At the time of Coolio’s death, sources said no drugs or materials were found at the scene. Coolio died on September 29, 2022 at a friend’s home in Los Angeles. He didn’t respond to phone calls asking him to come out of the bathroom he’d walled himself in. The lack of response had prompted his host to visit the star, where he found her lying on the ground.
Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey, was born on August 1, 1963 in Compton, California. In 1994 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’s front and center with his planetary title “Gangsta’s Paradise.” A second album of the same name follows, then a third, My soulin 1997. However, the latter did not achieve the expected success and sealed the end of the rapper’s career.
He then made several television appearances by participating in British reality TV shows but also in the French program Angels of Reality TV in 2011. Coolio has also had some legal troubles, including looting a clothing store in 1997, attacking his then-partner in 2013, or possessing a loaded and stolen firearm in 2016.
Gangsta’s Paradisea worldwide success
The rapper Coolio became known primarily for his title Gangsta’s Paradise. A hit released on August 9, 1995 that propelled him to the front of the stage, selling more than 6 million copies that year, its best year. Adapted from recreational paradise from Stevie Wonder, the song conjures up the lives of gangsters. Dark lyrics that made him world famous and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance in 1996.
Who were the women of Coolio?
If he made himself felt thanks to the tube Gangsta’s ParadiseRapper Coolio has also made a lot of talk about himself privately. As already mentioned, the artist was in a relationship with Afida Turner in the 2000s, but before that also with Josefa Salinas, whom he married in 1996 and divorced in 2000. Coolio was also married to Mary Shittu, a model. The Sun media reports on other names of the rapper’s former companions, most notably Mimi Ivey and Anabella Bellesi.
Many children were born from these different relationships: four with Josefa Salinas (three girls, Artisha, Brandi and Jackie and one boy, Artis), but also six others born from different relationships: Grtis Ivey, Milan Ivey, Darius Ivey, Zhaneand Ivey, Kate Ivey and Shayne Ivey.
Coolio, in trouble with the law
If the rapper’s personal life has drawn so much ink, it’s also because Coolio was known to law enforcement on allegations of violence. In April 2013, according to the US press, the rapper hit his then-girlfriend Anabella and ran him over with his car. The case was eventually dismissed due to a lack of evidence against Coolio.
Circumstances of Coolio’s death
Coolio’s death was published by the American specialist site TMZon the night of Wednesday September 28 to Thursday September 29, 2022. His manager, Jarez Posey, indicated that the rapper had gone to a friend’s house in Los Angeles (USA) the day before.
During his visit, Coolio went into the bathroom of this house without ever coming out. Worried about not seeing him return, the person he was dating, whose identity has not been revealed, then discovered him lifeless on the ground. After attempting to save him by performing CPR for 45 minutes, rescuers officially pronounced him dead. Cardiac arrest is then hypothesized.
How did Coolio die?
A “suspicion of cardiac arrest”. Almost a week after the sudden death of US rapper Coolio, the circumstances of death are becoming increasingly clear. According to American media germanicwho has his manager, the interpreter, on site Gangsta’s Paradise Reportedly died of “suspected cardiac arrest.” Eric Yano, a longtime friend of the 59-year-old artist, assures the American site that he never saw the rapper “drink, smoke or do drugs” during their 18-year friendship.
An inquest was launched the day after his death to determine the circumstances surrounding Coolio’s death. The tabloid TMZ reported at the time that no drugs or narcotic “consumer equipment” were found at the rapper’s crime scene. The criminal trail was also ruled out because the investigators had not noticed any signs of such an act. An autopsy was performed on the victim’s body, as well as a toxicological test.
But in April 2023, 1990s star rapper Jarel (Jarez) Posey’s family rep told online gossip TMZ that there were traces of fentanyl, a powerful opioid pain reliever used as a drug and far more potent than heroin or morphine is, were found in the body of the star.
Tributes to Coolio
After the announcement of the disappearance of rapper Coolio, world rap mourned one of its most famous faces. “I am heartbroken at the death of the talented artist Coolio. Gone way too soon. As some of you know I was fortunate to work with him Dangerous Thoughts 1995. He had won a Grammy thanks to that brilliant soundtrack song, which I think helped a lot with the film’s success. I remember an extremely kind man. 30 years later, I still get goosebumps when I hear this song,” wrote the American actress, for example Michelle Pfeifferwhen Ice Cube lamented “sad news”.
For his part, MC Hammer summed it up: “He was one of the nicest guys I’ve met in my life. A really good guy.”
