Coolio, rapper behind hit 'Gangsta's Paradise,' dies at 59

Coolio, shown here in 2015, has died age 59

Coolio, shown here in 2015, has died age 59

Coolio, the US rapper best known for the chart-topping 1995 song "Gangsta's Paradise," has died, his manager said Wednesday. He was 59 years old.

The Grammy-winning musician passed away in Los Angeles. No cause of death was immediately provided.

Posey told celebrity news website TMZ that Coolio was found unresponsive in the bathroom of a friend's house on Wednesday afternoon.

Coolio began his music career in California in the late 1980s, digging roots in the Los Angeles scene by 1994 when he signed to Tommy Boy Records.

But it was "Gangsta's Paradise" the following year that would make Coolio a household name.

It was the year's top single, and scored Coolio a Grammy for best rap solo performance for the track at the subsequent awards gala.

"Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist @coolio," wrote Pfeiffer on social media. "A life cut entirely too short."

- 'It wrote me' -

"I didn't write Gangsta's Paradise -- it wrote me," he said. "It was its own entity, out there in the spirit world, trying to find its way to the world, and it chose me as the vessel to come through."

He never recreated the success of his signature track but later put out hits including "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" and "Too Hot."

The social media reaction to the rapper's death was one of shock, with 1990s rapper Vanilla Ice tweeting: "I'm freaking out I just heard my good friend Coolio passed away."

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Originally published as Coolio, rapper behind hit 'Gangsta's Paradise,' dies at 59