The Grammy-winning rapper—real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr.—passed away at the age of 59 this week.
While the cause of death is currently not known, Coolio’s longtime manager Jarel Posey confirmed his death to Variety on Wednesday night.
The iconic rapper made a name for himself in the 90s and he is perhaps best known for his 1995 single, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which in addition to achieving triple platinum status with the RIAA after its inclusion on the Dangerous Minds soundtrack also reached over one billion streams on Spotify.
As fans, friends and celebrities alike pay tribute to the late performer today, one unusual career highlight is going viral on Twitter.
A clip of Coolio performing on an Irish daytime TV show in the late 90s/early 2000s is clocking up hundreds of thousands of views.
The show in question was called Open House and it ran on the country’s national network, RTÉ One, between 1999 and 2004.
Comedy writer James Cotter shared a clip from the performance, where Coolio was apparently booked by mistake and the backing dancers were the TV program’s crew members.
“RIP Coolio. Never forget his appearance on Irish daytime chatshow Open House, who, legend has it, booked him by mistake,” Cotter tweeted.
“They hadn’t arranged backing dancers, so he made the middle-age production crew dress up and do it instead. Best TV ever.”
In the clip, Irish veteran broadcaster Marty Whelan introduces the rapper who begins his performance with clearly clueless backing dancers attempting to perform alongside him on stage.
Whelan took to Twitter to acknowledge the clip and speak of his fond memory of meeting Coolio.
“Ah Coolio, I remember him with great fondness. To have him dancing with the staff was quite the moment,” Whelan tweeted.
“Which they did willingly. The very idea of introducing Coolio on afternoon television shows you how innovative RTÉ has always been…”
News of the rapper’s death online led to public mourning and a celebration of his legacy.
Rapper and actor Ice Cube tweeted, “This is sad news. I witness firsthand this man’s grind to the top of the industry. Rest In Peace @Coolio.”
Actor and comedian Martin Lawrence responded to the news on Twitter, saying his “deepest condolences and prayers go out to the family of @Coolio.”
