There were many people who were expected to join family and friends of hip hop singer Nate Dogg for his funeral in Southern California. The family of Nate Dogg, whose real name is Nathaniel Hale decided that the Saturday morning services at the Quenn May Done in Long Beach would be open to the public as they had previously wanted, but they made one thousand tickets and shuttles available to members of the public who claimed them first. The dome, close to the historic ship the Queen Mary, was the former home of Howard Hughes airplane folly the Spruce Goose.
Organizers had sought a more central location in Long Beach for the funeral, however none proved large enough for the numbers of expected mourners. Shante Broadus, wife of Nate Dogg friend and collaborator Snoop Dogg, teamed with Long Beach City Councilman Dee Andrews to find the space. The prediction was thousands of mourners would want to attend.
A public viewing of Nate Dogg’s body was held Friday night and a dinner is planned after the funeral. Nate Dogg died on March the 15th of complications from multiple strokes, attorney Mark Geragos said, he was only 41. Depite appearing primarily on rap records he was not a rapper but a singer. His almost monotone voice styling’s anchored some of rap’s most seminal songs and helped define the sound of West Coast hip hop on tracks usually produced by Dr. Dre and performed by rappers like Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg pound, and Warren G.
He remained sought after as a singer more than a decade after his original success, supplying vocals to more recent tracks by 50 Cent and Ludacris. Late in life he was plagued by several health problems, including two strokes in 2008.
