Stars including Michelle Pfeiffer and Snoop Dogg have been paying tribute to the US rapper Coolio who has died at the age of 59.<\/p>\n
He was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend\u2019s LA house, his manager Jarez Posey told US media.<\/p>\n
Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, won a Grammy for the 1995 track Gangsta\u2019s Paradise, which led the soundtrack for Dangerous Minds.<\/p>\n
Pfeiffer, who starred in the movie, said she was \u201cheartbroken\u201d at the news.<\/p>\n
The exact cause of his death on Wednesday has not yet been revealed.<\/p>\n
However Mr Posey told TMZ, which first reported the news, that paramedics believed he may have had a cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n
Pfeiffer said she thought Coolio\u2019s track was the \u201creason our film saw so much success\u201d and that she still gets \u201cchills\u201d whenever she hears it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist Coolio,\u201d she wrote on Instagram, sharing a clip from the famous music video, which sees her sitting across the table from Coolio as he raps.<\/p>\n
\u201cA life cut entirely too short,\u201d she continued. \u201cI remember him being nothing but gracious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nDangerous Minds saw Pfeiffer play an ex-Marine who becomes a teacher working on a pilot programme for teenagers who are bright but underachieving, in a tough, inner-city school.<\/p>\n
Coolio\u2019s haunting track from it, which samples the Stevie Wonder song Pastime Paradise, continues to be widely listened to and has just passed a billion streams on Spotify, according to his official website.<\/p>\n
It begins with Coolio reciting a line from the bible \u2013 \u201cAs I walk through the valley of the shadow of death\u201d \u2013 <\/em>before spinning off into a wide-ranging rap which finds him questioning the actions of those around him and wondering if he will \u201clive to see 24\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n The film grossed nearly \u00a385m (\u00a378m) worldwide and the track became the biggest-selling record of the year in the US, in 1995, and Coolio was awarded the Grammy for best rap solo performance.<\/p>\n Snoop Dogg shared a picture of the two posing on the set of the music video for Gangsta Walk, a track they collaborated on in 2006.<\/p>\n Fellow rapper and actor Ice Cube said<\/a>: \u201cThis is sad news. I witness first hand this man\u2019s grind to the top of the industry,\u201d while Vanilla Ice tweeted: <\/a>\u201cI\u2019m freaking out I just heard my good friend Coolio passed away,\u201d<\/p>\n Rapper MC Hammer described<\/a> Coolio as \u201cone of the nicest dudes I\u2019ve known\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cGood people. RIP Coolio,\u201d he wrote, sharing a black and white picture of the rapper, and later posting a second picture of the pair together, along with Tupac and Snoop Dogg.<\/p>\n Oscar-winning musician Questlove simply tweeted<\/a>: \u201cPeaceful Journey Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Rapper Flavor Flav said<\/a> he and Coolio had been due to \u201cperform together this Tuesday\u201d, saying his friend was \u201cthe West Coast Flavor Flav\u2026 He loved telling everyone that.\u201d<\/p>\n Singer Debbie Harry paid tribute<\/a> by saying: \u201cRest in power\u201d, while rapper LL Cool J wrote<\/a> the same message, along with \u201cLove & Respect\u201d. Musician Al Yankovic posted a picture of himself with the late rapper.<\/p>\n RIP Coolio pic.twitter.com\/Z53f3n6HDU<\/a><\/p>\n\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/_126887875_gettyimages-1145605052.jpg\" "\\"Coolio:")