American rapper Coolio died Wednesday at the age of 59, his manager and close friend Jarez Posey tell CNN. In the 1990s, the artist scored a big hit with Gangsta's Paradise.
The rapper, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr. was reportedly found dead on the ground in a friend's Los Angeles home. What he died of is not yet clear.
Coolio's first album It Takes a Thief was released in 1994. That record included the song Fantastic Voyage, his first major hit in the United States.
It was followed a year later by the song Gangsta's Paradise on the album of the same name. The single became a worldwide No. 1 hit. The accompanying music video has been viewed more than a billion times on YouTube. And on Spotify, the song has achieved more than a billion streams.
In 1996, Coolio received the Grammy for best solo performance in the rap category for Gangsta's Paradise. The song is also the soundtrack to the movie Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
The rapper released a total of eight albums, the most recent of which was released in 2009. However, after the release of C U When U Get There in 1997, major hits failed to materialize.
In addition to his music career, Coolio regularly played supporting roles in films and TV series. For example, he appeared in Batman & Robin (1997), The Nanny, and Charmed, among others.
Coolio has been convicted several times for weapons possession, among other things. That last happened six years ago.