LOS ANGELES — Coolio’s cause of death, initially thought to be from natural causes, wound up being classified as accidental because drugs and drug paraphernalia that were found at the scene, according to a medical examiner’s report.
The Grammy-winning “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died on Sept. 28, 2022, at age 59. He died due to the effects of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, the Los Angeles County medical examiner said in a report issued Thursday, and his death was ruled an accident.
According to the investigator’s narrative and autopsy reports obtained Friday by the L.A. Times, the rapper was found face up and unresponsive in a friend’s bathroom. After calling 911, emergency responders and paramedics arrived and moved the rapper to the living room to administer lifesaving measures, to no avail. He was declared dead at 4:49 p.m.
A spokesperson for the family told TMZ at the time that paramedics suspected Coolio had suffered a cardiac arrest, and law enforcement sources told the site that no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene.
His death was initially believed to be due to natural causes, but after surveying the scene during the two-hour investigation, that classification was changed, the report said.
“Three bags, reported as having belonged to the decedent, were observed in the living room. Apparent drugs and drug paraphernalia were located within these bags. A straw/tube was observed sitting next to an ash tray in the living room,” the report said.
The investigator also collected “a baggy with a brown powdery substance, foil with burn residue, a straw/tube, saline solution, a spoon with residue, over the counter CBD products, and vitamins” from the scene that day.
The coroner’s report also determined that the heart-muscle disease cardiomyopathy, asthma and recent PCP use factored into the musician’s death.
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