Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube are among celebrities paying tribute to Coolio after the rapper died suddenly today aged 59.
The Gangsta's Paradise rapper was found dead at a friend's house in Los Angeles.
"Coolio went to the bathroom at his friend's house, but when he didn't come after a while ... the friend kept calling for him, and eventually went in and found Coolio laying on the floor," Jarez told TMZ today.
TMZ reports friends then called emergency services who pronounced Coolio dead at the scene.
Fellow rapper Snoop Dogg posted an image of himself and Coolio to his Instagram page, "Gangsta's Paradise RIP," he captioned it.
Musician and actor Ice Cube wrote on Twitter: "This is sad news. I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace."
Saturday Night Live comedian Kenan Thompson also posted a tribute to his Instagram saying, "Damn homie! Rest in power!"
Coolio won a Grammy for best solo rap performance for Gangsta's Paradise, the 1995 hit from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer film Dangerous Minds that sampled Stevie Wonder's 1976 song Pastime Paradise.
He was nominated for five other Grammys during a career that began in the late-1980s.
Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania south of Pittsburgh, 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 the hip-hop scene.
His career took off with the 1994 release of his debut album on Tommy Boy Records, It Takes a Thief. It's opening track, Fantastic Voyage, would reach No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A year later, Gangsta's Paradise would become a No.1 single, with its dark opening lyrics:
“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realise there’s not much left, ‘cause I’ve been blastin’ and laughin’ so long, that even my mama thinks that my mind is gone."
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