Rapper Coolio's cause of death remains unknown

Coolio, the US rapper best known for the chart-topping 1995 song "Gangsta's Paradise," has died aged 59.

The Grammy-winning musician, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr, passed away in Los Angeles, his manager Susan Heber said.

No cause of death has been provided yet.

The rapper died at about 5 p.m. pacific time (8 p.m. EDT) at a local hospital, his manager Jarez Posey told the Times. Posey told the paper that Ivey had earlier been found unresponsive in the bathroom of a friend's home.

There were no immediate reports on the cause of death.

Ivey, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1963, began performing as part of the West Coast hip-hop scene after moving to Compton, California.