Nate Dogg Dead at 41

By Dahvi Shira and Tim Nudd

Wednesday March 16, 2011 09:25 AM EDT

Nate Dogg

Frazer Harrison/Getty

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Nathaniel D. Hale, a hip-hop artist known by the stage name Nate Dogg, died on Tuesday, his family said.

The cause of death was not yet known, but Hale, 41, had suffered strokes in 2007 and 2008, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Hale, who most notably sang the hook on Warren G.'s "Regulate" and Snoop Dogg's "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)," was part of an extended family of rappers known as the Dogg Pound Gangsta Crips (DPGC), a group that also includes Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger – both of whom responded to news of Hale's death with tribute messages on Twitter.

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"We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb," Snoop Dogg wrote. "I love u buddy luv. U will always b wit me 4ever n a day."

Daz Dillinger added: "R.I.P. to my homeboy Nate Dogg DPGC Dogg Pound gangsta 4 life."

Born and raised in Long Beach, Calif., Hale was best known for his collaborations with other musicians, including the DPGC group, as well as artists such as Ludacris and Eminem.