LOS ANGELES — Rapper Coolio died from the effects of fentanyl and other drugs, his manager and the medical examiner’s office said.
Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died at a friend’s house in Los Angeles on Sept. 28. He was 59.
Manager Jarez Posey confirmed to NBC News on Thursday that the medical examiner’s office informed the family that fentanyl was involved in his death.
Celebrity news website TMZ first reported the cause of Coolio’s death.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office website lists the cause of death as “effects of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine.”
Contributing factors included unspecified cardiomyopathy, or a condition of the heart muscle, and asthma, according to the medical examiner’s website.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to the home around 4 p.m. Sept. 28 for a death investigation, the department said at the time.
Coolio was known for “Gangsta’s Paradise" and “Fantastic Voyage." Overall, he sold more than 17 million records, according to his website.
“Gangsta’s Paradise” was released in 1995 and spent three weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 list. Coolio won a Grammy for best solo rap performance for the song. "Weird Al” Yankovic based his parody "Amish Paradise" on the hit.
Coolio was in a number of television shows and films, including “Futurama,” in which he voiced Kwanzaa-bot. He also appeared in “Robbery Homicide Division” and “Malcolm & Eddie,” among other shows. He was a contestant on “Fear Factor” in 2001.
