Rapper Coolio, who had one of the biggest hits of the '90s with the massive global smash Gangsta's Paradise, has reportedly died aged 59.

TMZ reports the rapper died on Wednesday at a friend's house in Los Angeles, with his manager telling the outlet Coolio – real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr. – had excused himself to use the bathroom.

When he didn't return, the friend went to check on him and found him laying on the floor. Paramedics were called but were unable to revive the star, with cardiac arrest the suspected cause of death. No official cause has yet been determined.

Coolio released his first album It Takes A Thief in 1994, but it was the following year when his song for the soundtrack of the movie Dangerous Minds turned him into a global star.

Gangsta's Paradise hit the number one spot in countries worldwide and became the top-selling single of 1995 in the US.

While he would never repeat that chart-topping success, Coolio continued releasing albums up until what was to be his final release in 2009.

In recent years, he moved from music into acting and television work, appearing on reality shows like Cookin' With Coolio and Coolio's Rules.

But his career was also marred by several well-documented run-ins with the law.

In 1999, a German court convicted him of being an accessory to robbery and causing bodily injury. In 2009, he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after he was found to be in posession of crack cocaine. In 2016, he was arrested at the same airport after allegedly trying to smuggle a loaded firearm through security.

Coolio is survived by his 10 children. It's been reported that four were from his four-year marriage to ex-wife Josefa Salinas, while six were from other relationships.