Coolio's cause of death revealed as accidental fentanyl overdose: medical examiner
Coolio's cause of death has been revealed, more than six months after the rapper's sudden passing. The Los Angeles county medical examiner determined Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, Yahoo Entertainment can confirm. He was 59 years old.
According to the coroner, cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), asthma and "recent phencyclidine use" are listed as other significant conditions. Phencyclidine, known as PCP or "angel dust," is an illegal hallucinogenic that's used as a recreational drug.
Coolio's longtime manager, Jarez Posey, told TMZ the rapper's loved ones just received the news and are making plans to honor his legacy. Posey noted that Coolio's decades-long use of cigarettes also played a factor in his death and his body's inability to fight back. Posey called the entertainer's asthma severe.
The "Gangsta’s Paradise" rapper died on Sept. 28 while at a friend's house in L.A. Posey told TMZ his client was found lying unconscious on the bathroom floor. The outlet reported EMTs tried to revive the '90s icon for 45 minutes before he was pronounced dead. Law enforcement sources claimed at the time that no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene and it was suspected the musician died from cardiac arrest.
Coolio was still touring at the time of his passing as he performed with Vanilla Ice and others as part of the "I Love the '90s Tour." The rapper was getting ready to travel to Germany for a show. Coolio churned out plenty of hits throughout his career like "Fantastic Voyage" and "1,2,3,4," but he's best known for creating the Dangerous Minds movie theme, "Gangsta’s Paradise." It's one of the top-selling singles of all time. The film's star, Michelle Pfeiffer, was among the stars who publicly mourned Coolio.
"Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist," she wrote, posting a clip of them in the "Gangstas Paradise" music video. "A life cut entirely too short. As some of you may know I was lucky enough to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995. He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack - which I think was the reason our film saw so much success. I remember him being nothing but gracious. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song. Sending love and light to his family. Rest in Power, Artis Leon Ivey Jr."
Coolio is survived by his six children: Brandi, Jackie, Melan, Christopher, Artis III, Darius and Artisha.
MORE: Coolio dead at age 59
