Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, better known to you, me, and everybody in the LBC as Nate Dogg, died last night at age 41. Though he'd suffered a pair of strokes in 2007 and 2008, the exact cause of death is still unknown. Long-time friend Snoop Dogg tweeted this early this morning: "We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met." Nate started singing as a child in Baptist churches in Long Beach and Mississippi, dropped out of high school, joined the Marines for a three-year stint, and then changed rap forever when he sang the chorus on Warren G's "Regulate" in 1994. Suddenly you could be gangsta and sound hella-smooth. That classic, and other seminal Nate Dogg choruses after the jump.
The extremely appropriate "How Long Will They Mourn Me" with Tupac and Thug Life in 1994:
"Regulate," with Warren G, 1994:
"Bitch Please" with Snoop and Xzibit, 1998:
"The Next Episode" with Dr. Dre, Snoop, and Kurupt, 2000:
