Paramedics spent nearly an hour trying to revive Coolio before confirming his death, it has been claimed.
The ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ star, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died Wednesday afternoon at the age of 59.
It was found on the bathroom floor of a friend’s house in Los Angeles and emergency services were called to the scene.
According to information from the TMZ site, the emergency teams came quickly and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 45 minutes, but he showed no signs of life.
He was later pronounced dead at the scene, but his cause of death has not been confirmed so far.
The rapper’s representative told the outlet that he traveled from Las Vegas to resolve a problem with his passport, before heading to Germany for a performance scheduled for the weekend.
Sheila Finegan, who represented the late musician at Trinity Artists International, later stated: “We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away this afternoon. He has touched the world with the gift of his talent and is will be deeply missed. Thank you to all who have listened to his music around the world and to all who have mourned his passing. Please keep Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”
Coolio’s career began in Los Angeles in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until the release of his iconic song ‘Gansta’s Paradise’ in 1995 that he rose to stardom.
The song was included on the soundtrack of Michelle Pfeiffer’s film ‘Dangerous Minds’ and went to number one on the charts.