Compton-based rapper Coolio died from the effects of fentanyl, his manager Jared Posey confirmed to Deadline Thursday. He also had traces of heroin and methamphetamines in his system.
Coolio died September 28, 2022 in Los Angeles. Posey told TMZ at the time that the rapper was found on the floor of a bathroom at a friend’s home, but an immediate cause of death was not known. He was 59.
The rapper won a Grammy in 1996 for his No. 1 smash “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer-starring film Dangerous Minds The title track form the late 1995 album was a rap take on “Pastime Paradise,” a track from Stevie Wonder’s Grammy-winning 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 and other charts around the world, including the UK. It also won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, scored a pair of MTV Video Music Awards and was parodied by “Weird” Al Yankovic as “Amish Paradise,” which peaked at No, 53 in 1996.
He followed that with another hit single, “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New),” which reached No. 5 in the U.S. That same year, Coolio wrote and performed “Aw, Here It Goes,” the theme song for Kenan & Kel, the Nickelodeon comedy starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell.
In addition to his music, Coolio moved into reality TV with appearances on Big Brother in 2009 and a year later on Ultimate Big Brother. He also was one of eight celebrities who appeared on the Food Network reality show Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off representing the Music Saves Lives Organization; he later became known for his cooking and wrote several cookbooks, including Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price in 2009, which would be a bestseller.
He also was featured on ABC’s Wife Swap and guest starred as himself in an episode on the first season of Sabrina the Teenage Witch His other credits include Gravity Falls, The Nanny and the Adult Swim show Black Jesus in an episode titled “Gangsta’s Paradise.” He was most recently cast in a recurring role on 2020 HBO Max pilot Vegas High.
Patrick Hipes and Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.
