LOS ANGELES, April 6 (Reuters) – Grammy Award-winning rapper Coolio, 59, died of a fentanyl overdose six months after the musician was found dead at a friend’s home in Los Angeles, his manager said on Thursday.
Born Ortiz Leon Ivy Jr., Coolio rose to fame from his 1995 album of the same name, “Gangsta’s Paradise.”
That song, a smash hit featured in the film “Dangerous Minds,” won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance the following year.
Coolio’s manager Jarez Posey told the rapper’s family Thursday through the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office that the singer died of a fentanyl overdose.
[1/2] Singer Coolio performs before a panel discussion about his new Oxygen Network reality series “Coolio’s Rules” at the NBC Universal Summer 2008 Press Tour on July 20, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo
The coroner’s office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Posey said the rapper’s children plan to honor their father in future documentary and film projects.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1963, Coolio began performing as part of the West Coast hip-hop scene after moving to Compton, California.
He released his debut album “It Takes a Thief” in 1994, scoring a top ten hit with the single “Lakeside”.
Reported by Lisa Rich; Editing by Sandra Maler
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