Coolio Wife: He Wasn’t Married at the Time of His Death

Getty The Coolio set during Groovin The Moo 2019 on April 28, 2019 in Canberra, Australia.

The rapper Coolio died suddenly, possibly of a heart attack, on September 28, 2022. That has a lot of fans wondering whether Coolio left behind a wife.

Coolio was 59 years old. “Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … paramedics were called to a house in Los Angeles around 4 PM for a medical emergency and when they got there they pronounced Coolio dead,” TMZ reported.

Was Coolio married? Not anymore.

He did have an ex-wife, however. Her name is Josefa Salinas, and they were married from 1996 through 2000. Coolio’s real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr.

Here’s what you need to know:

Coolio Had Four Children With His Ex Wife

Coolio had four children with Salinas. She is on Instagram, where she periodically gave shout-outs to the rapper.

On July 2, 2022, she wrote, “Its OFFICIAL !!!!! Congratulations to @coolio ! Gangsta Paradise hit ONE BILLION views!!!! Only 200 songs out of 80 million on @youtube are in this club! Welcome home where you belong @coolio Well deserved! #thingsjosefaknows #onebillionclub2022 #westside #gangstaparadise #jobwelldone.”

On Twitter, she describes herself as, “radio personality, author, speaker, motivator, mother, sister, friend.”

Her radio station bio reads,

Like you, Josefa Salinas dreamed of one day making the world a better place as a child. Since her formative years, that singular desire has guided many of her life choices, from creating a stellar career in media and entertainment, to founding a nonprofit organization and launching her own radio networks. Josefa’s unique out of the box thinking caught the eye of The White House where she was recently honored with being one of the few selected nationwide to join in the first ever South by South Lawn event held at the White House in October 2016.

As an on-air personality, Josefa’s sensuous, commanding voice has delighted listeners throughout California for 30 years, including 14 years on L.A.’s popular old-school station, HOT 92.3…

In 2008, Coolio discussed the couple’s daughters with People Magazine.

At that time, they were listed as Artisha, 20, Brandi, 19,and Jackie, 15. In that article, Coolio explained why he had a right to set rules, saying, “I pay the bills, I make the rules. It’s do as I say, not as I do.”

Coolio, then 45, said he would “do the rest of my life in prison if you mess with my kids” and added that he told his daughters’ prospective suitors: “…don’t come around here trying to get nothing you ain’t getting at home. First of all, you ain’t going to get it.”

According to HITC, Coolio also had a son with Salinas named Artis. That site reported that Coolio was very protective of his kids.

According to The Sun, Coolio left behind 10 children with multiple women. He married Salinas in 1996; they were only married for four years, The Sun reported.

Coolio Appeared on ‘Celebrity Wife Swap’ With a Girlfriend

According to Yahoo, in 2013, Coolio appeared on an episode of “Celebrity Wife Swap.”

He wasn’t married, though. He appeared on the show with his girlfriend, Mimi, and the show ended their relationship six weeks later, Yahoo reported.

The woman who swapped partners with Mimi toiled away “scrubbing toilets and floors while Coolio snored away in bed,” and this made Mimi realize, “Our relationship sucks, it really does,” Yahoo reported.

Mimi had worked as an exotic dancer.