The rapper Coolio, best known for his 1995 hit Gangsta’s Paradise has died at the age of 59.
His manager said he was visiting a friend’s house in Los Angeles when he apparently suffered a heart attack.
Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, Coolio emerged onto the LA rap scene in the 1980’s, but it was Gangsta’s Paradise that propelled him to international fame and earned him a Grammy for best solo rap performance.
The song reached number one on the US Billboard charts and stayed there for three weeks.
He was nominated for five other Grammys during his career, which began in the late-1980s.
His hit Fantastic Voyage reached No 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
US rapper Vanilla Ice said he was “freaking out” following reports of Coolio’s death.
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“I’m freaking out I just heard my good friend Coolio passed away,” the rapper, real name Robert Matthew Van Winkle, tweeted.
Ice Cube said: “This is sad news.”
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The rapper, real name O’Shea Jackson Sr, tweeted: “I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace.”
Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, Coolio moved to Compton, California, where he went to community college. He worked as a volunteer firefighter and in airport security before devoting himself full-time to hip-hop and releasing his first single in 1987.
He recorded Gangsta’s Paradise for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
He also provided the opening track Aw, Here It Goes! for the TV series Kenan & Kel.
The rapper came third in the sixth series of Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother in 2009.
Police sources told entertainment site TMZ no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of Coolio’s death.
It reported paramedics were called to a house in Los Angeles around 4pm for a medical emergency and when they got there they pronounced Coolio dead.
Police have opened a death investigation but there did not appear to be any signs of foul play, the site added.
Sabrina Carpenter has hit out at an “evil and disgusting” White House video of migrants being detained that uses one of her songs.
“Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” the pop star posted on X.
The White House used part of Carpenter‘s upbeat song Juno over pictures of immigration agents handcuffing, chasing and detaining people.
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It was posted on social media on Monday and has been viewed 1.2 million times so far.
President Trump‘s policy of sending officers into communities to forcibly round up illegal immigrants has proved controversial, with protests and legal challenges ongoing.
Mr Trump promised the biggest deportation in US history, but some of those detained have been living and working in the US for decades and have no criminal record.
Carpenter is not the only star to express disgust over the administration’s use of their music.
More on Sabrina Carpenter
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Olivia Rodrigo last month warned the White House not to “ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda” after All-American Bitch was used in a video urging undocumented migrants to leave voluntarily.
In July, English singer Jess Glynne also said she felt “sick” when her song from the viral Jet2 advert was used over footage of people in handcuffs being loaded on a plane.
Other artists have also previously hit out at Trump officials for using their music at political campaign events, including Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Celine Dion, Ozzy Osbourne and The Rolling Stones.
Matthew Perry’s parents have criticised the “jackals” involved in dealing drugs to the star – and accused a doctor of being “among the most culpable of all” ahead of his sentencing today.
Emotional victim impact statements by Perry‘s mother Suzanne and stepfather Keith Morrison, and father John and stepmother Debbie, have been submitted to the US district court for Central California ahead of Salvador Plasencia’s hearing.
They say “no one alive and in touch with the world” could have been unaware of the Friends star’s struggles with addiction, and that the doctor broke his vows “repeatedly” to “feed on the vulnerability of our son”.
Plasencia, 44, is the first of five people to be sentenced in connection with the 54-year-old’s death, and has pleaded guilty to illegally selling him large amounts of ketamine. He is not accused of selling the dose that killed the actor, but had been supplying the drug to him in the weeks beforehand.
Image: Salvador Plasencia appeared in court to change his plea to guilty earlier this year. Pic: Reuters/Mike Blake
Perry was found in his hot tub by his assistant in October 2023. A medical examiner later ruled that ketamine and other factors had caused him to lose consciousness and drown.
In their letter filed to the court, Suzanne and Keith Morrison share their grief, saying they feel a “confusion of emotions”.
Anger “seethes away down deep, whether you want it to or not”, they say, detailing how they play out “unalterable events, over and over and over” in their minds, “as if it could make any difference now”.
They also write about the impact Perry’s death has had on others, saying they often find Friends mementos, as well as flowers and notes and other tributes, left at his grave.
The star’s story “moved so many people”, they add. “And he wanted, needed, deserved a third act. It was in the planning. And then, those jackals.”
Image: Perry was best known for playing Chandler Bing in Friends. Pic: Everett/ Shutterstock
‘This doctor conspired to break his most important vows’
Saying they find Plasencia’s actions “truly hard to understand”, they tell the judge: “I believe the man you are going to sentence today is among the most culpable of all…
“Why become a doctor? To cure the sick of course. To heal people. To save lives.”
Crimes can be easier to understand in some circumstances, they say. “Maybe in the heat of passion, or because that person makes one very bad decision… Or some drug dealer, bad to the bone, who takes the calculated risk of getting caught and spending many years in prison.
“But… a doctor? Who trades on respect, and trust? And not just one bad decision. No one alive and in touch with the world at all could have been unaware of Matthew’s struggles.
“But this doctor conspired to break his most important vows, repeatedly, sneaked through the night to meet his victim in secret. For what, a few thousand dollars? So he could feed on the vulnerability of our son.”
Addressing Plasencia directly in their statement, John and Debbie Perry say: “You don’t deserve to hear our feelings. How you devastated our family contributing to the loss of Matthew, our only son.”
They describe Perry as a “warm, loving man” and say his recovery counted on Plasencia “saying NO”.
Their letter continues: “Your motives? I can’t imagine. A doctor whose life is devoted to helping people?
“How long did you possibly see supplying Matthew countless doses without his death to eventually follow? Did you care? Did you think?”
Prosecutors are asking Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett to sentence Plasencia to three years in prison.
John and Debbie Perry have asked the court to extend the sentence beyond the mandatory period.
Ahead of sentencing, Plasencia’s lawyers have described him as a man who rose out of poverty to become a doctor beloved by his patients, and say his selling to Perry was “reckless” and “the biggest mistake of his life”.
In their sentencing memo, they say “remorse cannot begin to capture the pain, regret and shame that Mr Plasencia feels for the tragedy that unfolded and that he failed to prevent”.
However, they say Plasencia has already lost his medical licence and career, and a prison sentence is “neither necessary nor warranted”.
The other four people charged in connection with Perry’s death have also accepted plea deals and are due to be sentenced over the next few months.
They are: dealer Jasveen Sangha, also known as “the Ketamine Queen”, Perry’s assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, another doctor, Mark Chavez, and Erik Fleming, an associate of the actor.
Sabrina Carpenter has hit out at an “evil and disgusting” White House video of migrants being detained that uses one of her songs.
“Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” the pop star posted on X.
The White House used part of Carpenter‘s upbeat song Juno over pictures of immigration agents handcuffing, chasing and detaining people.
X
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To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable X cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
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It was posted on social media on Monday and has been viewed 1.2 million times so far.
President Trump‘s policy of sending officers into communities to forcibly round up illegal immigrants has proved controversial, with protests and legal challenges ongoing.
Mr Trump promised the biggest deportation in US history, but some of those detained have been living and working in the US for decades and have no criminal record.
Carpenter is not the only star to express disgust over the administration’s use of their music.
More on Sabrina Carpenter
Related Topics:
Olivia Rodrigo last month warned the White House not to “ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda” after All-American Bitch was used in a video urging undocumented migrants to leave voluntarily.
In July, English singer Jess Glynne also said she felt “sick” when her song from the viral Jet2 advert was used over footage of people in handcuffs being loaded on a plane.
Other artists have also previously hit out at Trump officials for using their music at political campaign events, including Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Celine Dion, Ozzy Osbourne and The Rolling Stones.