Coolio, 'Gangsta's Paradise' rapper, dies, aged 59

Coolio, the West Coast rapper best know for his hit single ‘Gangsta’s Paradise, has died. He was 59 years old.

No cause of death has yet been officially given, but his manager, Jarez, confirmed that Coolio died at a friend’s house in L.A. last night (28th September) to outlets including TMZ, Rolling Stone and Variety.

The West Coast rapper, who released eight solo studio albums through his career, won a Grammy for best solo rap performance for ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ following its release in 1995. That was a year after his Tommy Boy Records signed debut album, ‘It Takes a Thief’, achieved mainstream success, with its opening single ‘Fantastic Voyage’ reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Survived by his six children, Coolio is also known for providing the opening track for Nickelodeon television series Kenan & Kel, titled ‘Aw, Here It Goes!’, as well as his web series and cookbook, Cookin’ with Coolio.

Tributes have flooded in to pay respects to the U.S. rapper, with MC Hammer describing Coolio as “one of the nicest dudes I’ve known”. ‘Fantastic Voyage’ was also played at the National Basketball League (NBL) game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. You can see some more tributes below.