Coolio's cause of death revealed as fentanyl and other drugs
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Grammy-winning rapper Coolio's death last September was due to the effects of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, his manager Jarel "Jarez" Posey confirmed to EW on Thursday.
The Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner Coroner also determined that cardiomyopathy, asthma, and recent PCP use factored into the musician's death. According to the CDC, cardiomyopathy refers to "a collection of diverse conditions of the heart muscle" that can reduce its ability to pump blood.
Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. and best known for his '90s hits "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Fantastic Voyage," Coolio was found unresponsive on the floor of a friend's bathroom and pronounced dead on Sept. 28. He was 59.
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Coolio in 2015
Posey told TMZ that Coolio will be remembered by his six children as a great man, and that the public "should know how much they loved him, and how he conquered the world both on the stage and when he wasn't performing." He said the family plans to pay tribute to Coolio's legacy through music, film, and future documentaries.
Coolio achieved success with the release of his 1994 debut album, It Takes a Thief, which featured the platinum-certified hit "Fantastic Voyage." The following year, his song "Gangsta's Paradise" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Dangerous Minds and became an immediate sensation, spending three weeks at No. 1 and winning him a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Coolio would go on to release eight studio albums over the course of his career. Beyond the world of music, he appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Batman & Robin, Martin, The Nanny, Celebrity Big Brother, All That, and Futurama.
Related content:
