Coolio’s oldest son, Artis Ivey III, spoke publicly this week for the first about the rapper since his death at age 59 last month, revealing the health struggles the artist was going through and how important his spirituality was to him.
Ivey said his father, who was found in his friend’s Los Angeles apartment on Sept. 28, died of a heart attack. Ivey, who is named after his dad, shared his 33rd birthday on the same day.
He called his father’s death a “complete shock” but said he knew the “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper didn’t regret anything.
COOLIO, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING RAPPER, DEAD AT 59
“I know he had no regrets,” he told the U.S. Sun. “He’s one of those people that got to really fulfill his life’s destiny.”
He added, “It was a complete shock. At the same time, you know, our father always prepared us for things that might happen. My father was a very spiritual person.”
Ivey explained that Coolio had been dealing with asthma and occasionally did drugs, which he said had no part in his dad’s death.
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“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 said.
“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. He died of natural causes. He just had a heart attack,” he said.
Coolio “didn’t fear death,” Ivey said. “It was another step to paradise. He had his own set of beliefs. He believed in a higher power and he believed in himself.”
He said his dad “believed in living life, leading his spirit, following his heart. When you live like that, sometimes you live life fast.”
Ivey added, “You know, he had a smile on his face when it was checkout time. And that’s all that matters.”
His dad didn’t want a “traditional funeral service,” he said. “He didn’t want too much going on over the body, he wanted everyone to celebrate the spirit. I’m gonna celebrate his life for the rest of my life, while he continues his voyage into paradise. You never truly die if your spirit is still strong, you go to a higher place.”
Coolio had seven biological children and three stepchildren.
“He was a great dad,” Ivey told the outlet. 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.”
