Nine years after legendary Long Beach artist Nate Dogg was laid to rest, Forest Lawn Cemetery unveiled his upgraded headstone over the weekend. The elaborate grave marker pays homage to Nate’s G-funk legacy with lyrics from his 2001 hit “Music and Me” emblazoned on the stone.
More than 100 family members, friends and fans turned out for the first glimpse of the marker, including fellow Long Beach rapper Daz Dillinger. Tim Morris, otherwise known as Cemetery Tim, designed the new headstone and posted a clean shot of it Monday (March 2) to his Instagram. “It ain’t a hit until Nate Dogg Spit!” he captioned the post.
He’s also designed headstones for NWA‘s Eazy-E and TLC‘s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.
Nate Dogg’s marker shows off the Long Beach skyline dotted with his different portraits, including an artistic rendition of his G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2 debut studio album cover art and the United States Marine Corps seal. He enlisted in the Marines after high school and served three years overseas before returning home to form the LG-based rap trio 213 with cousin Snoop Dogg and longtime friend Warren G.
“It is a work of art, to say the least,” said Nate Dogg’s sister Pamela Hale, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. “The design captures every part of who my brother was, his music, his city, his style — even his military service. A great deal of who my brother was, is in his music and to be able to turn on a radio and still hear his voice is a blessing. His is missed by so many and the music world lost a gift. But his legacy will continue in his music. It’s an honor to call a great talent my little brother.”
Nate Dogg’s musical legacy continues to live on in 2020, as the rapper’s posthumous vocals are featured on Anderson .Paak‘s album Ventura, which won the Grammy this year for best R&B album.
Take a look at Nate Dogg’s new headstone below.
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