Coolio (born Artis Leon Ivey Jr.) was an American rapper, record producer, and actor who first gained fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle. Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo artist in the mid-to-late 1990s with his albums: It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997). He is best known for his 1995 Grammy Award-winning hit single "Gangsta's Paradise" and these other singles "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (1996), and "C U When U Get There" (1997).
On September 28, 2022, he was found unresponsive at a friend's house and pronounced dead at the scene of a suspected heart attack.
