Coolio’s cause of death revealed: Rapper died at age 59 of a fentanyl overdose – with traces of heroin and methamphetamine in his system
- Star was found dead on Sept. 28 on the bathroom floor of his friend’s LA home
- Investigators determined that Coolio’s severe asthma and lifelong smoking had also played a role in his death
- Coolio is survived by his children and ex-wife, Josefa Salinas, whom he divorced in 2000
Rapper Coolio died of a fentanyl overdose in September 2022 at the age of 59, a family spokesperson confirmed. TMZ on Thursday.
The Gangstas Paradise hitmaker, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, also had traces of heroin and methamphetamine in his body when he was found dead on the bathroom floor of a friend’s LA home on Sept. 28.
Spokesman Jarel (Jarez) Posey also revealed that investigators had determined that Coolio’s severe asthma and lifelong smoking habit had played a role in his death, hindering his body’s ability to handle the overdose.
Coolio’s children Brandi, Jackie, Melan, Christopher, Artis III, Darius and Artisha “will remember their father as the great man he was” and want the public to know how much they loved him, Posey said.
The musician’s loved ones now plan to honor their father through documentaries and film – and further expand his musical legacy.
Tragic loss: Rapper Coolio died of a fentanyl overdose in September 2022 at the age of 59, a family spokesperson confirmed to TMZ on Thursday (2015 photo)
Gone too soon: The musician – famous for his hit song Gangsta’s Paradise – was visiting a friend on Wednesday, September 28 when he was found dead (pictured 10 days before his death)
Fentanyl was originally developed in Belgium in the 1950s to help cancer patients with their pain management.
Given its extreme potency, it has become popular among recreational drug users.
Overdose deaths related to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl rose from nearly 10,000 in 2015 to nearly 20,000 in 2016 – surpassing common opioid painkillers and heroin for the first time.
And drug overdoses killed more than 72,000 people in the US in 2017 – a record thanks to fentanyl.
It is often added to heroin because it produces the same high as the drug, with biologically identical effects. But according to US officials, it can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin.
In the US, fentanyl is classified as a schedule II drug, indicating that it has some medical use but has a strong potential to be abused and can cause psychological and physical dependence.