Coolio died suddenly of a suspected cardiac arrest in September 2022, bringing his fantastic voyage to an abrupt end. The Grammy Award-winning rapper was cremated in a private ceremony with no funeral service. But now, Coolio has a new tombstone courtesy of Cemetery Tim. Earlier this week, Cemetery Tim—who’s designed numerous tombstones for celebrities—shared an Instagram post of his latest design and thanked Coolio’s partner for the opportunity.
He wrote in the caption, “It was a true honor to work on behalf of Coolio to create this one of a kind memorial to honor Coolio’s life. Thank you MiMi @mimi513 for allowing me the opportunity to work with you. All Love.”
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Coolio was just 59 when he passed away. But as the tombstone notes he’s “Home Now In Gangsta’s Paradise.” Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. in 1963, Coolio was initially a member of WC and the Maad Circle before signing a deal with Tommy Boy Music for his first solo album, It Takes A Thief (1994).
The following year, Coolio shot to mainstream notoriety when his single “Gangsta’s Paradise” was used in the Michelle Pfeiffer film, Dangerous Minds. The song stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, becoming one of the most successful rap singles in history.
As for Cemetery Tim, he’s curated tombstones for Friday actor AJ Johnson, Nate Dogg and Eazy-E, among others. The N.W.A legend’s marker was unveiled in 2019 on what would have been Eazy-E’s 55th birthday. It features Eazy-E’s signature red logo, autograph, the title “The Godfather of Gangsta Rap” written in Old English and several iconic photos/ Toward the bottom it reads, “We Put Compton On The Map.” Check out Coolio’s above and Eazy-E’s below.
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