Coolio's Cause of Death Revealed

The September death of hip-hop legend Coolio was caused by fentanyl, according to a family spokesperson who says the coroner recently gave the rapper's family the news. The coroner's report cited by People lists the rapper's cause of death as an accidental overdose of fentanyl as well as traces of methamphetamines and heroin that were found in the 59-year-old's system. His family says his decades-long cigarette habit and the severe asthma he suffered from also contributed to his death, TMZ reports. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner also listed cardiomyopathy (a disease affecting the heart muscle) and recent use of phencyclidine (PCP, a hallucinogenic street drug) on the coroner's report.

Coolio, who was born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was found dead of cardiac arrest at a friend's home in Los Angeles, and no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene. Coolio's rep says the rapper went to the bathroom and never came out; the friend found him on the bathroom floor. The family rep says Coolio's kids plan to honor their dad's legacy with documentaries and other projects that celebrate his life and music. The Pennsylvania-born artist released eight albums, appeared in films and television shows, and won a Grammy in 1996 for perhaps his best-known song, "Gangsta's Paradise," USA Today reports. (More Coolio stories.)