After Coolio’s sudden death at the age of 59, actress Michelle Pfeiffer remembered the US rapper on Instagram. “It breaks my heart to hear of the passing of the gifted artist Coolio. A life that ended far too soon,” wrote Pfeiffer. Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” was the theme song to the film “Dangerous Minds” (1995), in which Pfeiffer starred. The song is a variation of Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise”.
“As some of you may know, I was fortunate enough to work with him on ‘Dangerous Minds’ in 1995,” Pfeiffer continued. “He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack – I think that’s why our film was such a hit. As I remember, he was always kind. 30 years later I still get goosebumps when I hear the song. I send love and light to his family.”
In Dangerous Minds, Pfeiffer played an English teacher at a big city high school who tries to encourage her students, mostly black and Latino students from vulnerable backgrounds, through lyrics by Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas. In the music video for Gangsta’s Paradise, Coolio himself appeared between scenes from the film. Also featured on the track is vocalist Larry Sanders, aka LV.
You can watch the video here:
Coolio, real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was found motionless in the bathroom at a friend’s house on September 28. A cause of death is not yet publicly known. According to the police, third-party debt has so far been ruled out. It is said that he may have suffered a heart attack.
Coolio’s solo debut “It Takes A Thief” was released in 1994, and he had his breakthrough with “Gangsta’s Paradise” (1995). It was followed by the singles “Too Hot” and “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)”, the already less successful third album My Soul (1997) with the single “CU When U Get There” and five other records, including the last album “From The Bottom 2 The Top” 2009.