Snoop Dogg's younger brother Bing Worthington has died aged 44

Music executive Bing Worthington, the younger brother of Snoop Dogg, has died at the age of 44.

His brother confirmed the sad news on Instagram, posting a series of pictures captioned 'bac wit momma' and 'until we meet again'.

The legendary rapper, real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, has been paying plentiful tribute to the memory of his brother who worked for him in a range of behind-the-scenes roles throughout his life.

Bing worked as a tour manager for his brother and co-founded the record label Dogg Records.

For a time he also pursued a career in music with the hip-hop group Lifestyle, releasing the album Liquid Cocaine with them in 2003, while he also co-wrote the song 'Be Thankful' for his brother's rap group Tha Eastsidaz, which he had said was the thing he was most proud of doing.

In his tributes Snoop said that Bing 'always made us laugh' as he posted picture after picture of them enjoying life together.

Plenty of the rapper's fans paid tribute to Bing and offered their condolences to Snoop over his grievous loss.

Others who had encountered the 44-year-old told Snoop they thought he was 'a fine man' and said it was 'a pleasure to meet him'.

Someone else offering their thoughts said he was the 'kindest soul' and 'one of the most honest people to walk this earth', while a third called him a 'bright soul'.

According to NBC News, an update on the cause of death is pending the results of a toxicology and autopsy report.

Bing had started out as a roadie for his brother before running various ventures ranging from skateboards to footlong hot dogs.

In an interview with Vice in 2016, Bing explained that it was the release of his 2003 album which made him realise his talents for the business side of music, and said he'd had a 'blessed' career.

He said: "When I put the album out, I was putting everything in the music together.

"My guy was a great rapper and I was a great rapper, but I was like 'why am I working on the music? I should be doing all the business side of this thing'.

"I love meeting people, talking business, that got me going. That made me feel like another person."

It has been a difficult time for Snoop and his family in recent months, as the rapper's daughter Cori last month announced that she'd been taken to hospital after suffering a severe stroke.