Iconic rapper Coolio died today at the age of 59. 

According to his longtime manager, Jarez, the rapper, real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was found dead in his friend’s Los Angeles home, presumed to be from a cardiac arrest. No official cause of death has been confirmed yet.

Within hours of the sad news breaking, musicians and celebrities started paying tribute to the late rapper. Among those offering their condolences was “Weird Al” Yankovic, who once became embroiled in a feud with Coolio when he parodied his hit song ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’.

“RIP Coolio,” he wrote, alongside a picture of the pair hugging. And as music journalist Dan Ozzi noted following his death, Coolio was more than happy to bury the hatchet with the parody artist.

“One of the nicest dudes I’ve known. Good people. R.I.P. Coolio,” MC Hammer said on Twitter. “Rest in power my brother,” wrote LL Cool J. You can see these and more tributes below.

After making his way through the Los Angeles rap scene in the late 1980s, Coolio rose to worldwide prominence thanks to his mammoth 1995 anthem ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’, which featured on the soundtrack for that year’s film Dangerous Minds.

The song has remained iconic over the decades, selling over five million copes in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. It ranked number 85 on Billboard‘s Greatest Songs of All Time list, while NME also named it as the 100th best song in their countdown of the 100 Best Songs of the 1990s. ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ also earned Coolio the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Love Hip Hop?

Get the latest Hip Hop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

The rapper had some other success following his signature hit, including the Top 20 hits ‘1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)’ and ‘C U When U Get There’, while he also famously provided the opening theme song for the iconic Nickelodeon show Kenan & Kel.

For more on this topic, follow the Hip Hop Observer.

https://twitter.com/mchammer/status/1575300984883974144?s=21

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine