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Daily Record
Daily Record
Entertainment
Kirsten McStay & Jamie Roberts

Coolio 'killed by fentanyl' as family confirm cause of death and plan to honour his memory

Family of rapper Coolio have confirmed his cause of death after a family spokesman revealed the use of fentanyl killed him.

Back in September 2022, the sad news broke that Coolio had died aged 59.

Reports say that the Gangsta's Paradise star also had traces of heroin and methamphetamines in his system at the time of his death, writes The Mirror.

Family representative Jarel (Jarez) Posey told TMZ on Thursday that investigators found that the star's severe asthma along with decades of smoking cigarettes also played a factor in his death as it meant his body had an inability to fight back.

Posey told the publication that despite the news, the star's children will remember their father for the man he was and said the public should know how much they loved him.

It's reported that the family now plan to honour the musician through a number of TV documentaries and a film as well as continuing his legacy in the industry.

When he sadly passed away, sources told TMZ no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene.

Posey told them at the time how Coolio was unresponsive to calls for him to return from the bathroom as he visited a friend in Los Angeles.

Coolio's family plans to honour the star's legacy (GETTY)

His unusual silence is said to have led to the pal going to check on him, where he found him laying on the floor.

Coolio - whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr - is said to have been pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services were called.

The musical icon burst onto the music stage in LA in the late 1980s, but it was his '90s hit Gangsta's Paradise which made him an international star.

The well-loved tune, which was recorded to be the soundtrack for Michelle Pfeiffer's hit film Dangerous Minds, went on to become his signature song.

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