Our very own Shaz has shared a photo of the time she meet Coolio after news of the rapper's death broke earlier today.
Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, Coolio died on Wednesday US time after being pronounced dead on the scene at a friend's house he was visiting.
The 90s hip-hop star's death was confirmed to TMZ by his long-time manager Jarez. An official cause of death has not been determined, but Jarez said paramedics suspect a cardiac arrest.
An outpouring of tributes has already begun for the 'Gangsta's Paradise' rapper, including one from Sharyn, who got to hang with him backstage when she was a teenager working at the mall.
"When I was 17, Coolio gave us free tickets to his show and backstage passes and we gave him free Levi’s when I was working at North City Plaza," she captioned a throwback snap of her and some mates chilling with Coolio on Instagram.
"He was blimmin' lovely and very much enjoyed a soft serve ice cream," she added.
Coolio first became a part of the rap scene in the 80s, but blew up when his song 'Gangsta's Paradise' was released in 1995 as part of the soundtrack for the movie 'Dangerous Minds'.
The song stayed at number one for nine weeks in the New Zealand charts and has remained one of the most recognisable hip hop songs of all time.
Coolio also had success with tracks like 'Fantastic Voyage' and 'C U When U Get There', and even wrote the theme song for the 90s Nickelodeon sitcom 'Kenan & Kel'.
The rapper was the father to a total of 10 children.
