Coolio, 'Gangsta's Paradise' Grammy Winner Rapper, 59, dies , at a friends house.

Jarel Posey, the rapper's longtime manager, confirmed the news to Variety, claiming Coolio died at 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday afternoon. Coolio was discovered at a friend's house, according to TMZ.

Coolio rose to fame in the Los Angeles rap scene in the 1990s, landing his big break with the song "Gangsta's Paradise" for the 1995 film "Dangerous Minds,"

Coolio was born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. in Pennsylvania on August 1, 1963, and later went to Compton, California, where he joined the hip-hop group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991.

Coolio signed with Tommy Boy Records a few years later, in 1994, and released his debut album "It Takes a Thief."

Coolio's fame grew with the success of "Gangsta's Paradise" in the mid-'90s, and he finally recorded "Aw, Here It Goes!" for the opening sequence of Nickelodeon's "Kenan & Kel," in which he also appeared

His third studio album, "My Soul," was released in 1997 and included the single "C U When U Get There," which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100

The album was rated gold, but it did not have the same impact as his first two albums, and hence became his final record with Tommy Boy.

Coolio would go on to record five more studio albums: "Coolio.com" in 2001, "El Cool Magnifico" in 2002, "The Return of the Gangsta" in 2006, "Steal Hear" in 2008, and "From the Bottom 2 the Top" in 2009.

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