Let’s find out “What Was Coolio’s Net Worth When He Died?” The news that rapper Coolio had passed away on September 28, 2022, stunned the music industry. He was 59. According to TMZ, Coolio, real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was discovered dead on the bathroom floor of a friend’s home late in the afternoon.
According to police authorities, no signs of wrongdoing, drugs, or objects associated with narcotics were discovered at the scene as of the time of this writing. Nevertheless, an official cause of death for Coolio will be announced after the results of his autopsy and toxicology tests.
For folks who grew up in the midst of the 1990s rap boom, giving rise to legends like 2Pac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and many, many more, Coolio should be a household name. “Fantastic Voyage,” from his 1994 studio album “It Takes a Thief,” blew up on the airwaves and MTV. By the time his immortal track “Gangsta’s Paradise” was released a year later in 1995, Coolio was well on his way to earning six Grammy nominations and one win (via Grammy Awards).
With such credentials, plus over 17 million records sold worldwide (via IMDb) and hits like “Gangsta’s Paradise” earning over 1 billion listens on platforms like Spotify, you’d think that Coolio would have been rolling in some cool dough.
What Was Coolio’s Net Worth When He Died? Funding A Second Career
While we can’t be positive, Coolio’s fateful financial turn just might have come in 2013, when The Guardian reported he was selling the rights to his back catalog to fund his burgeoning cooking career. This included all eight of his albums over a 19-year period, including all of his hit tracks. All together, this was going to be auctioned for a mere $134,000 to $225,000. And yes, selling songs from a catalog relinquishes royalty rights, as Billboard explains, which for Coolio equaled about $23,000 per year. Whether it was poor spending habits, multiple lawsuits, or an unusual mid-life career turn toward chefdom, Coolio only had about $1.5 million at the time of his death, as Celebrity Net Worth says.
Coolio’s second career as a chef had unexpectedly gotten some traction in 2009 with his book, “Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price.” The cookbook played along with the silly, from-the-hood persona that Coolio, the “Ghetto Gourmet,” as he called himself, had wielded until then. Dishes included “Mozzarella for the Pimpish Fella” and “Soul Rolls.” The recipes were said to be based on Coolio’s experiences growing up, cooking 30-minute meals with available ingredients.
Coolio’s book also went hand-in-hand with a surprisingly funny TV show of the same name. Clips on YouTube show Coolio at his best, especially when entertaining children with dishes like “Spinach Even Kids Will Eat.” Such clips give us a glimpse into the life Coolio shared with his 10 children and grandchild. It’s tragic that his passion and bravado apparently drained him of the money he wanted to use to bring his visions to life.
Humble Beginnings And Self-Destructive Choices
What Was Coolio’s Net Worth When He Died? Coolio’s rise to the top wasn’t easy. His parents were working-class people, and at a young age Coolio got involved with a gang, the Baby Crips, as The Famous People says. Even though Coolio was by nature goofy, kind, intelligent, and studious, he adopted a thug persona in school, and wound up having run-ins with the law for larceny by age 17. His interest in rap grew while attending Compton Community College, but so did his self-destructive drug habits, particular crack, as All Music describes. Coolio checked himself into rehab around the time that his first single, “Watcha Gonna Do,” aired on Los Angeles rap radio station KDAY in 1987.
All this is to say: Financial literacy probably wasn’t chief on Coolio’s mind. After getting out of rehab, Coolio found his way to the limelight by transforming his younger, playful self into his rapping persona. The chief single from 1994’s “It Takes a Thief,” “Fantastic Voyage,” epitomized Coolio’s light-hearted, yet still West Coast, approach. It worked, and Coolio broke into super-stardom overnight. The Tough Tackle reports that he earned $8 million from touring alone. However, he also got sued for $1 million in 2000 for a breach of contract (via ABC News), got embroiled in a domestic abuse lawsuit in 2013 (via the Las Vegas Sun), and had run-in after run-in with the law, from a 2012 traffic violation arrest to carrying a loaded gun into airport security in 2016 (via The Sun).
Coolio’s death
Coolio died while visiting a friend’s house, reports TMZ. According to Coolio’s manager, Jarez, the rapper excused himself to go to the bathroom. He took a long time to exit the bathroom, so his friend went to check on him.
Upon entering the bathroom, the friend discovered Coolio on the floor, says the publication. Emergency medical technicians reportedly pronounced him dead at the scene. As of this writing, there is no official cause of death.
Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’
Coolio (his real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr.) released his first studio album, It Takes a Thief, in 1994. He gained popularity after releasing the single “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which was the featured song on the soundtrack for the 1995 movie Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Coolio won a Grammy award for best rap solo performance the following year.
Coolio said he didn’t make it big in the music industry until he was in his early 30s. By the time Gangsta’s Paradise was released, Coolio said he was about 31 years old, which is when some rappers retire, according to him.
During an interview with Sway in the Morning, Coolio said his record label pushed his singles harder than his albums. He believed this was why his albums didn’t do as well as they could have.
“A lot of people don’t know my albums, but I felt like my singles were so big that it just overshadowed everything,” said Coolio. “Tommy Boy [records] actually had their fingers on the pulse back then, and they were pushing singles hard. My albums did well but I think they could have done better if they pushed the album instead of the single.”
Coolio’s TV and movie appearances
One of Coolio’s early acting roles was in a 1995 episode of Martin titled “All the Players Came.” That same year, he played a gangster in an episode of The Parent ‘Hood titled “Trust a Move.”
In 1996, Coolio appeared in the film Dear God, in which he played the character Gerard. The following year, he played a banker in the movie Batman & Robin. Some of Coolio’s other acting roles include appearances in The Nanny, Charmed, Star-ving, Dracula 3000, and All That.
Coolio also had a passion for cooking. He starred in a web series called Cookin’ With Coolio. He released a cookbook in 2009 titled Cookin’ With Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price.
Awards and nominations
Coolio received many awards and nominations throughout his career. In addition to his Grammy, some of his honors include an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, MTV Video Music Awards, and Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.
