Artistically known by his stage name Coolio, Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022) was an American rapper, record producer, and actor. It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta’s Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1996) propelled Coolio to fame in the mid-to-late-1990s (1997).
He is particularly well-known for composing the theme song, “Aw, Here It Goes!” for the Nickelodeon series Kenan & Kel, which first aired in 1996. Coolio began releasing records independently in 1996. He also began a career in the culinary arts around this time, eventually launching a web series called Cookin’ with Coolio and publishing a cookbook under the same name.
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Coolio’s Family Life
Away from the spotlight, Coolio was a devoted family guy, but he was best recognized for his rhyming abilities and hit songs like “Gangsta’s Paradise.” After they got divorced, he reportedly kept in touch with his ex-wife in a healthy way and the two of them had a good connection. During the course of his lengthy career, he has been on a variety of reality shows alongside his children.
Who Was Coolio’s Wife?
Between the years 1996 and 2000, Coolio was married to Josefa Salinas for a total of four years. The former couple had their first encounter in 1987, and they dated for about ten years before getting married to one another. During the course of their partnership, they became parents to four little ones: Artisha, Brandi, Jackie, and Artis.

In the California music scene, Josefa grew to prominence due to her talents as a presenter, which earned her a name for herself. She worked as a host at various radio stations for a combined total of thirty years, including KQIE-FM, HOT 92.3, and Power 106.
Since Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed her to the position four years ago, she has been serving in her current capacity as a Los Angeles Commissioner. During the course of her career, Josefa has published three books, the most notable of which is entitled 101 Things to Know Before You Date My Daughter, My Best Friend, and Or Me.
How Many Children Does Coolio have?
Grtis, Milan, Darius, Zhane, Kate, and Shayne Ivey are among the six other children who were reportedly born to Coolio as a result of his involvement in other romantic relationships. When he and four of his children appeared on the short-lived reality show Coolio’s Rules in 2008, he had previously been very vocal about how much he cherished his family and how much he loved his children in particular.
During the first episode of the show, Coolio gave a voiceover interview in which he said, “They’re almost grown, and I don’t have much time to catch up and teach them what my mama taught me.”
Rapper Coolio Shared Four Children With His Ex-Wife Josefa Salinas

The previous year saw the passing of Darius’ mother. Darius made a post for his mother’s 53rd birthday, which was her last before she passed away.
In the article, he reflected on how she was the most resilient person he knew and how fortunate he was to have someone so supportive to lean on. In 2012, Grtis made news after he was sentenced to prison for robbing an apartment in Las Vegas when he was only 22 years old. It was claimed by TMZ at the time that he had used the name Artis on the family reality show, which leads one to speculate that Artis and Grtis are one and the same person.
Coolio’s Death
His manager reportedly told TMZ that Coolio had excused himself to visit the restroom before he died on Wednesday at a friend’s residence in Los Angeles. The friend went to check on him when he didn’t come back and found him passed out on the floor. Cardiac arrest is being blamed for the star’s death, but paramedics were unable to revive her. There has been no official word on what happened, but TMZ said they saw no evidence of foul play.
The first single “Fantastic Voyage” from Coolio’s debut album It Takes A Thief reached the top five in the US. His breakthrough into international fame came the next year, though, when one of his songs was featured on the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer film Dangerous Minds.
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