According to a close friend, the late rapper Coolio had avoided drugs and excessive alcohol in the years leading up to his death despite having substance abuse issues in the past.
The hip-hop star, best known for his 1995 hit Gangsta’s Paradise, died last Wednesday in Los Angeles. of suspected cardiac arrest. He was 59 years old.
The rap artist’s history of substance abuse and crack addiction has led some fans to speculate that he died of a drug overdose, after he was found on the floor of his friend’s bathroom in downtown city of Los Angeles.
But his manager said the cause appeared to be a heart attack, and a close friend also testified to Coolio’s sobriety in recent years.
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Coolio had a history of drug abuse and crack addiction, but was sober in the years leading up to his death, a friend of the rapper told DailyMail.com.
Coolio’s close friend Eric Yano (pictured) said he had never seen him drink or take drugs in the 18 years he knew him, his manager also said his cause of death appeared to be a seizure cardiac.
Eric Yano, a Vegas-based friend of the late rapper who has known him for 18 years, told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview that despite Coolio’s struggles with drugs in the past, he had never seen him drink, smoking or taking substances during their two-decade friendship.
“He would never show up drunk or on another planet like most people. I never saw him drink. He usually had a glass of water,” Yano said.
“A lot of people would ask to smoke a joint with him but he never smoked.
“When the news of his passing came yesterday I was shocked. Was it something health related?
“But I was just with him a few weeks ago, and he seemed absolutely fine.” No mention of any kind of heart disease or any medical condition.
Yano, 45, who hosts VIP events at MGM hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, said he first met Coolio around 2004 on the Strip looking for a cab, which he brought home and that he had become good friends from then on.
The nightlife rep and rapper had started a new business, Send Me To Vegas, which involved guests paying for a bus tour of the Strip accompanied by Coolio, entertaining his guests and singing his hit songs on the ride.
Despite his smash hit with multi-platinum records and his biggest hit, Gangsta’s Paradise, reaching a billion views on YouTube in July this year, Coolio was not a rich man, his friend has revealed.
Coolio, best known for his 1995 hit Gangsta’s Paradise, was not a wealthy man at the time of his death, despite his resounding success with his biggest hit and other multi-platinum records.
Eric Yano shared videos of him and Coolio hanging out in Las Vegas before his death
Documents from a 2010 child support case filed by his ex Anabella Chatman show he was earning just $1,387 a month.
Yano told DailyMail.com that Coolio liked to play and was less focused on money.
“What mattered to Coolio was entertaining people, whether on stage or just having dinner conversation,” he said.
Coolio fathered at least 11 children. Four were with his first wife, Los Angeles city official and radio personality Josefa Salinas, and at least two were with his longtime current partner, model Mimi Ivey, and others with multiple girlfriends.
At the time of his death, he was living in Las Vegas, but had traveled to Los Angeles to correct a problem he was having with his passport.
The rapper had concerts scheduled in Germany this weekend and therefore needed proper documentation.
Coolio’s manager, Jarez, said he was preparing to join the rapper when he got a call about the bathroom collapse.
The manager then said he was told that Coolio had died of a heart attack, although it was yet to be confirmed.
Police did not find any drugs or paraphernalia in the bathroom.
Fan Mika Janday shared a photo posing with Coolio, who looked happy, healthy and engaging days before his unexpected death at 59.
Death: Paramedics pronounced Coolio dead at the scene and an autopsy is now underway to establish the official cause of death – although law enforcement sources have shared that “no drugs or drug paraphernalia was found at the scene”
Gone too soon: The musician – famous for his hit song Gangsta’s Paradise – was visiting a friend on Wednesday afternoon when he was found dead (pictured 10 days ago)
Devastated fans have since pointed to the singer’s lifelong asthma as a possible cause of death.
He was regularly seen pulling on an inhaler at concerts, although his longtime friend and manager, Jarez, claims he died of a heart attack.
On the day of his death, Coolio reportedly went to the bathroom at a friend’s house, but hadn’t come out for a long time.
This prompted the friend to investigate. Coolio was lying on the bathroom floor unresponsive when he was found.
The friend called emergency services and paramedics responded quickly but found no signs of life.
The cause of death has not yet been confirmed by a medical examiner.
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