American rapper Coolio, best known for his 1995 hit Gangsta's Paradise, has died at the age of 59.
His manager said he was visiting a friend's house in Los Angeles when he apparently suffered a heart attack.
Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, Coolio emerged onto the LA rap scene in the 1980's - but it was Gangsta's Paradise that propelled him to international fame.
It also earned him a Grammy for best solo rap performance.
The song reached number one on the US Billboard charts and stayed there for three weeks.
He was nominated for five other Grammys during his career, which began in the late-1980s.
His hit Fantastic Voyage reached No 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Coolio spoke with Moncrieff back in 2019 about his life, career - and food.
US rapper Vanilla Ice said he was "freaking out" following reports of Coolio's death.
"I'm freaking out I just heard my good friend Coolio passed away," the rapper tweeted.
Former NWA star Ice Cube said: "This is sad news."
He tweeted: "I witness first hand this man's grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace."
MC Hammer described Coolio as "one of the nicest dudes I've known".
"Good people. RIP Coolio," he wrote. He also shared a black and white picture of the rapper.
He later posted a second picture of the pair together, along with Tupac and Snoop Dogg.
Snoop Dogg wrote: "Gangstas paradise. R I P."
He shared a picture of the two of them on Instagram, posing on the set of the music video for their collaborative 2006 track Gangsta Walk.
View this post on Instagram
Musical comedian Weird Al Yankovic paid his respects by sharing a picture of the pair embracing and adding: "RIP Coolio".
He parodied Gangsta's Paradise as Amish Paradise, though at the time it was claimed Coolio had not given him permission to do so.
Coolio stated in interviews the pair had since made amends.
RIP Coolio pic.twitter.com/Z53f3n6HDU
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) September 29, 2022
Born in Pennsylvania, 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 hip-hop and releasing his first single in 1987.
He recorded Gangsta's Paradise for the 1995 film 'Dangerous Minds' starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Pfeiffer said she was "heartbroken" to hear of his passing.
"A life cut entirely too short. As some of you may know I was lucky enough to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995", she said on Instagram.
"He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack - which I think was the reason our film saw so much success.
"I remember him being nothing but gracious. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song", she added.
He also provided the opening track Aw, Here It Goes! for the TV series 'Kenan & Kel'.
Entertainment site TMZ reported paramedics were called to a house in Los Angeles at around 4.00pm for a medical emergency, and when they got there they pronounced Coolio dead.
Police have opened a death investigation but there did not appear to be any signs of foul play, the site added.
Coolio spoke with Moncrieff back in 2019 about his life, career - and food.
Reporting by IRN
