Coolio's manager, Jarez Posey, said the rapper's family had been informed on Thursday by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office that the singer had died from a fentanyl overdose.
Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., Coolio was best known for his 1995 single "Gangsta's Paradise," from an album of the same name.
That song, a massive hit featured in the film "Dangerous Minds," won a Grammy Award for best rap solo performance the following year.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1963, Coolio began performing as part of the West Coast hip-hop scene after moving to Compton, California.
He released his debut album, "It Takes a Thief", in 1994, scoring a Top Ten hit with the single "Lakeside."
The coroner's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
