US rapper Coolio, who is best known for the chart-topping 1995 song Gangsta's Paradise, passed away in Los Angeles on Wednesday, his manager said. He was 59. The rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, passed away at a friend’s house, his longtime manager, Jarez Posey, stated. 

Coolio gained global fame in 1995 when he released Gangsta's Paradise for the soundtrack of the film Dangerous Minds. The rapper was awarded the best rap solo performance for the track at the following year’s Grammy Awards. This wasn’t Coolio’s only Grammy nomination. He was nominated for five other Grammys during a career that began in the late-1980s.

Coolio's manager said he was found unresponsive in the bathroom of a friend's house on Wednesday afternoon. EMT's frantically tried to revive Coolio after his body was found in a downtown LA. home, but after 45 minutes of CPR he was pronounced dead. It was stated that, "Coolio was at a friend's home late Wednesday afternoon when he went to the bathroom. We're told he was in there for quite a while, and the friend became concerned and began calling for him. When Coolio didn't respond, the friend went inside the bathroom and found the rapper laying on the floor."

He called EMT's who quickly responded and saw no signs of life. They administered CPR for 3/4 of an hour before concluding it was futile. As we reported, police did not find drugs or paraphernalia in the bathroom. The cause of his death therefore has not been provided.