Rapper Coolio survived by up to 10 children after dying aged 59
Rapper Coolio has left behind a large family after dying at age 59, though most of his many children have preferred to stay out of the spotlight.
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Artis Leon Ivey Jr, known as Coolio, is said to be survived by up to 10 children after he died aged 59 on Wednesday.
Four of his oldest children with ex-wife Josefa Salinas joined their rapper father in his fame for a short time when he had his own reality show in 2008, but little is known about his other kids who have preferred to stay out of the spotlight.
Coolio’s Rules focused on the musician’s life as a single dad in Los Angeles, California and only lasted six episodes.
Coolio’s daughters Jackie, Brandi, Artisha and son, Artis, were on the show.
His other children are reported to include Grtis, Milan, Darius, Zhaneland, and twins Shayne and Kate, but little is known about them with even the number of offspring differing between reports.
Darius, Artis and Milan were photographed performing with their dad Coolio on stage three years ago.
It was part of Las Vegas’ Labor Day weekend Fremont Street Experience concerts.
Milan, 26, goes by the stage name Pharaoh Santana and released an album in 2020 called PS1.
Darius, who also makes music, is credited on one of the tracks.
Milan’s mother is also Coolio’s ex-wife Josefa. She often posts how proud she is of him on her Instagram but there is not mention of the other children.
Coolio and Josefa were married from 1996 to 2000, but dated many years before that.
On July 2, Josefa posted a photo to congratulate Coolio on his hit Gangsta’s Paradise reaching 1 billion views on YouTube.
Darius’ mother died last year. In a post for her 53rd birthday, her last before her death, Darius wrote that she was the strongest person he knew and he was “lucky to have someone so loving to lean on”.
Grtis made headlines in 2012 after he was jailed for robbing an apartment in Vegas at 22 years old. TMZ reported at the time he had gone by the name Artis on the family reality show – suggesting Artis and Grtis may be the same person.
Coolio’s death
TMZ reports the rapper died on Wednesday at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, with his manager telling the outlet Coolio had excused himself to use the bathroom.
When he didn’t return, the friend went to check on him and found him laying on the floor. Paramedics were called but were unable to revive the star, with cardiac arrest the suspected cause of death. No official cause has yet been determined, but TMZ reported there did not appear to be any signs of foul play.
Coolio released his first album It Takes A Thief in 1994, scoring a US top-five hit with breakthrough single Fantastic Voyage. But it was the following year when his song for the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer movie Dangerous Minds catapulted him into global stardom.
Gangsta’s Paradise hit number one in dozens of countries worldwide – here in Australia, it stayed in the top spot for 14 weeks, while in Coolio’s home country of the US, it became the top-selling single of 1995, shifting more than five million copies.
Coolio went on to win a Grammy and two MTV Video Music Awards for the Stevie Wonder-sampling hit.
Originally published as Rapper Coolio survived by up to 10 children after dying aged 59
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