Rapper Coolio of ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ fame dies at 59

Singer Coolio performs on his Oxygen Network reality series Coolio's Rules in 2008 in Beverly Hills, California [File: Fred Prouser/Reuters]

Coolio, the rapper among hip hop’s biggest names during the 1990s with hits including Gangsta’s Paradise and Fantastic Voyage, has died at age 59.

Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr, the artist died at the Los Angeles home of a friend, longtime manager Jarez Posey said on Wednesday. The cause of death was not immediately clear.