The death of beloved rapper Coolio in September 2022 shocked the hip hop world. He was only 59 years old and continued to appear in movies and TV shows as recently as 2021. Today (April 6), nearly six months after his passing, his family has revealed what led to his untimely death.
His manager and family spokesperson Jarel “Jarez” Posey told TMZ that his family was notified by the coroner of what killed the “Fantastic Voyage” MC. His death was a result of fentanyl. He also had traces of heroin and methamphetamines in his system at the time of his passing. Investigators also determined that his severe asthma and decades of cigarette smoking played a factor. Initially, paramedics believed he suffered cardiac arrest.
Coolio’s legacy will continue to live on through his kids: Brandi, Jackie, Melan, Christopher, Artis III, Darius, and Artisha. His family plans to honor their dad through documentaries and film. The legacy of his music will stay alive too. A posthumous album titled Long Live Coolio was announced in March 2023; the previously unreleased Too $hort collab “TAG You It” arrived March 17.
One of Coolio’s biggest claims to fame was his 1995 hit single “Gangsta’s Paradise” recorded for the film Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer. It exploded in popularity and became one of the most popular rap songs in history up until then, sitting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and ending the year as the No. 1 song in the country. The following year, the track was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards; he snatched the trophy for the latter. He’s also a part of ’90s Nickelodeon history as providing the theme song for the beloved sitcom “Kenan & Kel.”
Coolio’s reach extended beyond the world of music. He was also an actor and TV personality, appearing in series like “The Nanny” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” as well as reality shows like “Celebrity Big Brother.” The rapper also had some pretty good culinary skills. He released his own cookbook, “Cookin’ With Coolio,” in 2009. In 2012, the “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)” rhymer came in second place on the Food Network competition series “Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.”