Hip-Hop Legend Nate Dogg Dies

BY CHRISTY LEWIS
ANCHOR JIM FLINK

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“Just hit the east side of the LBC, on a mission trying to find Mr. Warren G. Seen a car full of girls ain’t no need to tweak, all you skirts know what’s up with 213...”

Best known for his chart topping hit “Regulate,” 41-year-old Nathaniel Dwayne Hale died yesterday in his home near Long Beach, California. He was more commonly referred to as Nate Dogg, representing the west coast hip-hop community. The official cause of his death hasn’t been released, but sources say Hale had been struggling with his health for the past few years.

“He suffered, I think, two strokes in 2007 and 2008 and has a history of a lot of health problems.”

With more than 40 charted singles to his name, he was best known for teaming up with other successful musicians. ITN names a few.

“...His collaborations with Eminem, 50 cent, dr. dre and snoop dogg.”
Nate Dogg not only collaborated with legendary rapper Snoop Dogg in the music world--they were close friends outside of work. The rapper took to twitter to express his feelings about the death.

“I am so sad but so happy I got to grow up with u and I will c u again...All doggs go to heaven.”

But not everyone is focusing on Hale’s legacy. In the NY Daily News, blogger David Hinckley says Nate Dogg’s death illustrates a painful truth: Society has become desensitized to entertainers dying young, but not from those who die of natural causes.

“In some ways, sadly, it feels more unusual to hear that a star died young in some way that was not job-related. But the rock star lifestyle, which really means the larger show biz lifestyle ... is such an obvious accessory in most of those deaths that in a curious way, Nate Dogg may be striking as an exception."

Finally, MTV opts not to look back on Nate Dogg’s career, but at the influence his work had, and will continue to have, on today’s hip hop industry. They say his success as a “hook man” opened the door for many of the genre’s current top artists.

“Every new age hip-hop artist with a tendency to seal their songs with a singer on its hook, or even sing those choruses themselves, needs to pay homage … That means artists like Akon, Drake and T-Pain, amongst many others, all owe Nate Dogg a debt of gratitude.”

A flood of tributes have been posted to the web since his death, by fans, celebrities and professional athletes. Hale is survived by his wife and three children.

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1. By: newsydotcom
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4. Added :18-Mar-11
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