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US rapper Coolio found dead on bathroom floor aged 59

US rapper Coolio has reportedly died aged 59 after he was found laying on a bathroom floor.

TMZ reports the Gangsta's Paradise singer was visiting a friend in Los Angeles on Wednesday (local time) when he went to the bathroom.

His longtime manager, Jarez, told the publication he did not emerge from the bathroom even when his friend kept calling for him.

Coolio wears a red shirt while performing.
The US rapper was reportedly found dead by a friend on a bathroom floor. Source: Getty

TMZ reports Coolio was found on the floor after the friend eventually went in to check on him.

The publication reports paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is understood paramedics believe the rapper suffered a cardiac arrest however an official cause of death is yet to be determined.

Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, was a huge success in the mid-to-late 90s, and is best known for his 1995 Grammy Award-winning hit Gangsta's Paradise.

The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and became the number one single in 1995 in the US across all genres.

Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. Source: Tommy Boy Records
Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. Source: Tommy Boy Records

He also had a number of TV appearances, starring in two episodes of The Nanny in 1998 and the TV series Cookin' with Coolio in 2008.

He also appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2009.

Coolio released his last studio album From the Bottom 2 the Top in 2009.

Fans devastated by the news left tributes to the "legend" on his Instagram.

"RIP KING," one said.

"You're finally in Gangsta's Paradise. Rest easy King. You were part of my childhood. You will be missed," another devastated fan wrote.

"You were the very first album I ever bought. Gangsta's Paradise I knew by heart at eight years old," a third added.

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