Ice-T Says ‘Sudden’ Deaths of Friends Coolio and Michael K. Williams ‘Hurt’: ‘It Blindsides Everybody’ (Exclusive)

Ice-T is opinionated up and utilizing his sound for good. 

The rapper and actor, 67, hosts nan caller A&E documentary Fame and Fentanyl, which sheds ray connected nan devastating toll fentanyl has taken connected modern-day America.

“I've been doing voiceovers and narration for tons of different topics, but I'm astatine a constituent successful my life wherever I want to do things that are important,” Ice-T tells PEOPLE astir signing connected to big nan documentary, which premieres Aug. 25. “Every erstwhile successful a while, thing comes on that's really important, and I wanna put my stamp connected that.”

The deadly effect of fentanyl is individual for Ice-T; he mislaid 2 adjacent friends to nan drug. “I knew Coolio since he started rapping. He was retired pinch me. I took him connected tour. He was 1 of my person friends successful hip-hop who went disconnected to do his point and rustle up,” he says of his chap rapper, who died successful 2022 astatine property 59. “And Mike [Michael K. Williams], I was readying connected moving pinch him connected projects that we had written and talked about.” Williams died 2021 astatine property 54.

For nan Law & Order: SVU star, Coolio's decease was little astonishing than nan secrecy that initially surrounded it. “People cognize definite group are getting high, truthful it's not for illustration you're saying, ‘Oh, well, Coolio ne'er did drugs.' We knew Coolio would get high,” he explains. “I didn't cognize to what extent, you know, but to dice and for them to opportunity it was asthma, we said, 'Bulls---.' We each suspected fentanyl, and it didn't travel retired for a while, and it conscionable really nailed successful nan situation. Like, this is what's sidesplitting people.”

Learning of Williams’s decease was some shocking and profoundly painful. “With Mike, I didn’t cognize he was still getting high. I thought that was successful his past because he said freely astir his past, truthful that benignant of caught maine disconnected guard,” Ice-T recalls. “But it hurts. It hurts. It's for illustration having personification dice successful a car accident. People dice of earthy causes, but past ever erstwhile you person a abrupt decease for illustration that, it really, really hurts your friends. I deliberation it blindsides everybody because group do drugs, but astatine nan extremity of nan day, cipher is doing them trying to die. It’s tragic.”

Through nan documentary, Ice-T hopes to raise consciousness astir fentanyl’s dangers and nan devastating consequences of nan drug. “In our doc, we show really small it takes to termination you, and I deliberation nan only measurement we’re gonna extremity it is pinch acquisition that location is poison connected nan street,” he says.

“In hip-hop, erstwhile group were doing ace successful nan early days, it was a fashionable drug, but erstwhile we figured retired what it was doing, we made ace whack. So what we person to do arsenic a nationalist is make this crap truthful unpopular and uncool. As my woman [Coco Austin] and I say, ‘It’s not worthy nan party.' To me, it's much astir educating nan group that this tin termination you nan very first clip you effort it.”

Ice-T is nary alien to discussing narcotics and crime. The actor, who has starred connected SVU for complete 25 years, will beryllium attending CrimeCon connected Sept. 6 and 7 to proceed nan speech and big nan event’s 4th yearly CLUE Awards. “It's each astir nan full genre of crime, television, crime shows and things for illustration that,” he tells PEOPLE astir nan weekend. “People cognize I’m not nan police, but I’ll beryllium talking to folks astir nan show, my experiences connected SVU, and possibly my past life successful crime. We’ll spot wherever it goes.”

Fame and Fentanyl premieres Aug. 25 connected A&E.