‘He didn’t fear death': Coolio's son Artis Ivey says rapper died with ‘smile’ on his face
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Legendary rapper Coolio died Wednesday afternoon, September 28, at the age of 59. He was reportedly found by paramedics in the bathroom of a friend's home in Los Angeles after they were called to an emergency medical checkup. Fans from around the world came forward to pay their respects to the OG hip-hop rapper, and now his eldest son, Artis Ivey III, has also spoken out to discuss his death.
In an exclusive interview with The US Sun, Ivey III talked about the 'Gangster Paradise' rapper, "My dad was having a couple of health complications. He was taking care of those things. A lot was going on with asthma, real bad asthma. He was for the most part drug free, but my dad lived for the day, everyone in life has their vices, but those vices never really affected him as a father or a man." Talking about the rapper's death, Ivey III said, "He died of natural causes. He just had a heart attack. [Although] It was a complete shock. At the same time, you know, our father always prepared us for things that might happen." Speaking from his home in Los Angeles, the emotional son continued, "My father was a very spiritual person. He didn’t fear death at all. It was another step to paradise. He had his own set of beliefs."
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Ivey III continued, "He believed in a higher power and he believed in himself. My dad believed in living life, leading his spirit, following his heart, when you live like that, sometimes you live life fast. You know, he had a smile on his face when it was checkout time. And that's all that matters. I know he had no regrets. He's one of those people that got to really fulfil his life's destiny." It was revealed that it was Ivey III's birthday week and they had talked earlier as well.
Coolio's eldest son explained, "He loved life, he loved women, he loved his kids." Previously, the rapper's long-time girlfriend, Mimi Ivey, got candid with Daily Mail and said, We were best friends. We would talk about everything and joke and laugh about everything. There was never a dull moment being with him. He was an eccentric, a storyteller. He loved life. He loved his family, his career, and he loved to make people smile." She explained, "He was who he was. If he was seeing other women, I knew about it. There's nothing that man ever did that he hid from me. We talked about everything. I knew his whole life. We had no secrets."
Artis III explains, "He was a great father, he cared about his kids. He would put his career on hold for us, we were cared about the most. As for me and him, we had a great relationship. My father showed me the world, he taught me things, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other. We were close friends, he raised me after I moved in from seventh grade and pretty much took me around the world, showing me everything I know today. Everybody came and stayed with him for a couple years and we did a TV show. We all got a chance to really build a relationship with each other. My dad always made sure to have his one-on-one time with his kids. After everybody got a little older, he would just go from place to place. When he was in town, he would go spend a couple of days with everybody."