Coolio, the Grammy Award-winning rapper whose 1995 hit "Gangsta's Paradise" became one of the genre's most successful songs of all time, died on Wednesday. He was 59.
His manager, Jarel Posey, confirmed his death to Variety.
Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. in Pennsylvania, Coolio later moved to Compton, California, where he was part of the hip hop group WC and the Maad Circle. He gained worldwide fame in 1994 with "Fantastic Voyage," the lead single from his debut solo album It Takes a Thief. His biggest hit, "Gangsta's Paradise," came a year later. It appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Dangerous Minds, and the film's star, Michelle Pfeiffer, had a cameo alongside Coolio and singer L.V. in the song's music video.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Gangsta's Paradise" stayed at the top of the Billboard Top 100 chart for three weeks and was the No. 1 single in the United States for 1995. In 1996, "Gangsta's Paradise" was nominated for two awards at the Grammys, with Coolio winning Best Rap Solo Performance. The song gained further attention when Weird Al Yankovic used it as the inspiration for his parody "Amish Paradise."
Coolio later had success as an actor, appearing in several movies and television shows, including Martin, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Nanny, Charmed, Futurama, and Gravity Falls. He was also a contestant on two reality shows, Celebrity Big Brother and Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, where he came in second place. Coolio is survived by six children.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocratFeature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlockFeature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th-century clothing
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
