Tributes have been pouring in from Coolio’s friends and peers, following the Gangsta’s Paradise rapper’s death at the age of 59.
On Wednesday night, representatives for Coolio – born Artis Leon Ivey Jr in 1963 – confirmed to multiple outlets that the chart-topping star had died, with TMZ reporting he’d been found unresponsive on a friend’s bathroom floor in LA.
Following the news, many big names from the music scene began paying their respects, including Snoop Dogg and MC Hammer.
Sharing a picture of himself and Coolio from back in the day, Snoop paid homage to his peer’s 90s hit Gangsta’s Paradise, while MC Hammer remembered him as “one of the nicest dudes” he’d ever known.
In Ice Cube’s tribute, he referenced Coolio’s “grind to the top of the industry” when he was first starting out in the rap game, with LL Cool J writing: “Rest in power my brother… love and respect.”
(@flavorflavofficial)Hollywood star Michelle Pfeiffer also paid her respects, remembering Coolio as “gracious” and a “gifted artist”, while crediting Gangsta’s Paradise for the success of the film Dangerous Minds.
“30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song,” she wrote. “Sending love and light to his family.”
Meanwhile, parody artist Weird Al Yancovic – who released his own take on Gangsta’s Paradise titled Amish Paradise – also paid tribute on social media.
Coolio will be best remembered for his hit Gangsta’s Paradise, which topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and earned the musician a Grammy win.
Over the course of his music career, he was nominated for a further five Grammys.
As well as rapping, Coolio appeared on the sixth series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2009.
A year later, he was invited back to the house as part of Channel 4’s Ultimate Big Brother, but left after a few days following an ongoing dispute with another housemate.
Shameless actor Tina Malone – who famously clashed with Coolio during their CBB stint – wrote on Twitter: ”RIP COOLIO! You drove me nuts, you made me laugh! Glad we got to make up. God bless.”