LOS ANGELES — Coolio’s cause of death, initially thought to be from natural causes, wound up being classified as accidental because drugs and drug paraphernalia that were found at the scene, according to a medical examiner’s report.
The Grammy-winning “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died on Sept. 28, 2022, at age 59. He died due to the effects of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, the Los Angeles County medical examiner said in a report issued Thursday, and his death was ruled an accident.
According to the investigator’s narrative and autopsy reports obtained Friday by the L.A. Times, the rapper was found face up and unresponsive in a friend’s bathroom. After calling 911, emergency responders and paramedics arrived and moved the rapper to the living room to administer lifesaving measures, to no avail. He was declared dead at 4:49 p.m.
