The rapper and TV persona Coolio has died within the US on the age of 59.
The man born Artis Leon Ivey Jr got here to the world’s consideration together with his 1995 hit Gangsta’s Paradise, which grew to become one of the crucial profitable rap songs of all time after he recorded it for the movie Harmful Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
However he was additionally in demand on the small display, with a third-place end within the UK Celeb Large Brother in 2009 adopted a 12 months later by an look within the Final version of the programme.
His ardour for meals noticed him grow to be a chef who appeared in web-based cooking educational reveals Coolio’s Guidelines and Cookin’ with Coolio, in addition to a star contestant on the primary season of Rachael vs Man: Celeb Cook dinner-Off.
After being born within the steel-making metropolis of Monessen, south-western Pennsylvania, the younger man moved to Compton, Los Angeles the place he started creating his expertise by getting into rap contests.
He recorded the singles Watcha Gonna Do and You’re Gonna Miss Me within the late Nineteen Eighties, earlier than becoming a member of group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991.
He had his breakout second as a solo artist three years later with the one Improbable Voyage, from his particular person debut album It Takes a Thief, which was launched by Tommy Boy Information.
The LP reached quantity eight on the Billboard Scorching 200 chart and raised his profile a lot that Hollywood got here calling.
Gangsta’s Paradise, that includes singer LV, snatched high spot on the Billboard Scorching 100 and remained there for 3 weeks.
An album with the identical title was launched later in 1995 and was quickly licensed twice platinum by the Recording Trade Affiliation of America, with the discharge additionally containing hit singles 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New) and Too Scorching.
Coolio collaborated the subsequent 12 months on the soundtrack to the Michael Jordan-starring household movie House Jam, teaming up with Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Cyprus Hill’s B-Actual and Methodology Man of the Wu-Tang Clan for the tune Hit ’em Excessive.
He achieved a particular place in lots of tv viewers’ hearts with the memorable theme tune – titled Aw Right here It Goes – to the youngsters’s present Kenan and Kel, together with activates The Nanny and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
He additionally appeared in an episode of The Invoice, however it was his activate the sixth collection of UK Celeb Large Brother that introduced him into massive numbers of UK viewers’ houses in 2009.
He completed third and together with winner Ulrika Jonsson went on to hitch the solid of Final Large Brother the next 12 months, the final collection of the present to air on Channel 4.
Coolio recorded eight studio albums ending with 2009’s From the Backside 2 the High, and stored working in TV together with appearances as himself in Grownup Swim’s Black Jesus in 2014 and final 12 months within the presidential puppet-themed present Let’s Be Actual.
He was not with out authorized incidents, being convicted of being an adjunct to theft and inflicting bodily harm in Germany in 1998.
He was additionally convicted for having a loaded firearm inside a bookbag at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport in 2016 then denied entry to Singapore at Changi Worldwide Airport the subsequent 12 months for a non-disclosed motive.
He had six kids and was married to Josefa Salinas from 1996 till 2000.