Coolio death: Michelle Pfeiffer says 'rest in power', Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube pay respects

The actress joined rap royalty in leading tributes to the 'Gangsta's Paradise' singer

US rapper Coolio died on Wednesday aged 59. In the hours since his death was announced, a growing number of celebrities have paid tribute to his life and work.

Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr, the Grammy-winning musician enjoyed a career that spanned almost 35 years.

Best known for the chart-topping 1995 song Gangsta's Paradise, he was a rapper, record producer and actor.

Actress Michelle Pfeiffer worked with Coolio on the film Dangerous Minds in 1995. She paid tribute to him on Instagram, posting a message and a clip of the Gangsta's Paradise video.

"Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist @coolio. A life cut entirely too short," Pfeiffer wrote.

"As some of you may know I was lucky enough to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995. He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack — which I think was the reason our film saw so much success. I remember him being nothing but gracious. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song. Sending love and light to his family. Rest in power, Artis Leon Ivey Jr."

MC Hammer posted a photo of himself with Coolio, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg in the 1990s, a picture that Coolio himself tweeted as a "throwback Thursday" in 2014.

"RIP Coolio," MC Hammer wrote, with white dove and red rose emojis. In a separate tweet, he described the rapper as "one of the nicest dudes I’ve known. Good people".

Ice Cube retweeted a post announcing Coolio's death, and wrote: "This is sad news. I witness first hand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace."

Snoop Dogg shared a photo of himself with Coolio on Instagram, captioning the post: "Gangstas paradise. RIP".

"I’m freaking out I just heard my good friend Coolio passed away," rapper Vanilla Ice wrote.

Debbie Harry from the band Blondie simply tweeted: "Rest in power Coolio".

Coolio and "Weird Al" Yankovic had a well-documented feud after the musical comedian parodied the rapper's Gangsta's Paradise with Amish Paradise in 1996.

At the time, Coolio denounced the parody, but in the years since described his criticism of the spoof as "was one of the dumbest things I did in my career".

"I've since apologised to him," Coolio said in a 2011 interview at the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis.

"I sat down, and I really thought it out," he said. "I was like: 'Wait a minute.' I was like: 'Coolio, who the [expletive] do you think you are? He did Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson didn't get mad.'

"I was being too magnificent and too terrific about myself and that's not what you want to do."

Weird Al paid tribute to Coolio on Twitter, posting an image of them embracing in the years since their feud ended.

Scroll through the gallery below to see other stars we've lost in 2022 so far