The US hip-hop star died on Tuesday (March 15), his family said. A cause of death if not known.

50 Cent, who worked with Nate Dogg on his single '21 Questions', said he heard news of the rapper's death when he got off a plane in Las Vegas.

“GOD BLESS HIM R.I.P he meant a lot to west coast hip-hop. I've always been a fan of it,” he wrote on Twitter.

Speaking of their 2003 single, 50 Cent also revealed that he asked Nate Dogg to feature because “he had a way of making everything feel hard”.

Earlier, Snoop Dogg also paid tribute to Nate Dogg, describing the rapper as his “best friend”.

Nate Dogg had been battling health issues since suffering two major strokes: a first in 2007 followed by another in 2008.

(by Jason Gregory)