Los Angeles -Grammy-winning rapper Coolio died on Wednesday after being found unresponsive at a friend’s Los Angeles home, the New York Times reported. He was 59.
Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was best known for his 1995 single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” from an album of the same name.
That song, a massive hit featured in the film Dangerous Minds, won a Grammy Award for best rap solo performance the following year.
The rapper died at about 5pm pacific time (8pm EDT) at a local hospital, his manager Jarez Posey told the Times. Posey told the paper that Ivey had earlier been found unresponsive in the bathroom of a friend’s home.
Jarez told TMZ paramedics suspected he suffered cardiac arrest.
Law enforcement sources said no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of his death death.
The publication also reported an autopsy and toxicology test will be used to determine an official cause of death.
There were no immediate reports on the cause of death.
Police did say they have opened a death investigation, “but as of right now there does not appear to be signs of foul play”.
Ivey, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1963, 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.”
