Coolio: The day the rapper surprised fans at Celtic Park

Coolio met fans during a match against Hibs at Celtic Park in 2017

For Celtic fans, the half-time draw at Parkhead is just part of matchday routine.

But one in particular will stand out as one of the most surprising - and perhaps bizarre - moments in Scottish football memory.

As the Paradise Windfall was about to begin on 30 September 2017, the club brought US hip hop star Coolio on to the pitch to announce the winners.

The rapper - who has died at the age of 59 - wore a Celtic scarf as he walked to the stands to greet supporters before the prize was announced.

He waved as his Grammy-winning 1995 track Gangsta's Paradise was played in the stadium.

The star's appearance at the match was no coincidence.

During his time on Celebrity Big Brother in 2009, he struck up a friendship with former MSP Tommy Sheridan.

The two kept in touch and on one occasion Coolio visited the politician at his home in Cardonald, according to the Glasgow Times.

Then in 2017, Mr Sheridan told followers on Twitter that he hoped to bring his friend to the Celtic-Hibs clash, adding "From Gangsta's Paradise to Paradise."

Coolio was touring the UK at the time and was due to perform at the Hydro that night with Salt-N-Pepa, Tone-Loc, Colour Me Badd, Young MC and Vanilla Ice.

Coolio was introduced to Celtic by friend and former MSP Tommy Sheridan

During an exuberant interview with Celtic TV host Gerry McCulloch and former Celtic defender Mark Wilson, Coolio said: "I brought the Gangsta's Paradise to the real Paradise - the Celtic Paradise. Hail, hail.

"My boy Tommy has been telling me about the Celtics for years and I'm a fan through him - I wanted to come and see it for myself.

"The pitch is looking lovely today, I'm having a good time - and we're up one."

He concluded the interview with another "Hail, hail" - before John McGinn scored twice for Hibs in the second half.

Callum McGregor brought the final score to 2-2.

Coolio visited Tommy Sheridan and his wife Gail in Glasgow

Mr Sheridan told BBC Scotland he was "devastated" by is friend's death.

He said: "Coolio was a huge talent and a massive character. He filled every room he occupied.

"He will be greatly missed but will never walk alone. His appearance at Parkhead will never be forgotten."

Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died age 59 on Wednesday.

He was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend's LA house, his manager Jarez Posey told US media.

Coolio wore a kilt as he entered the Big Brother house

Tommy Sheridan watching his Big Brother "best bits' - including the moment where he danced with Coolio

The track Gangsta's Paradise led the soundtrack for Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer - who led tributes along with Snoop Dogg.

The actress said she was "heartbroken" at the news.

She said she thought his song was the "reason our film saw so much success" and that she still gets "chills" whenever she hears it.

It samples the Stevie Wonder song Pastime Paradise, continues to be widely listened to and has just passed a billion streams on Spotify, according to Coolio's official website.