Dr Dre shares update with fans after being taken to hospital

Dr Dre said he is "doing great and getting excellent care" following reports he had been taken ill and was in hospital.

The 55-year-old rapper, producer and record label executive suffered a possible brain aneurysm and is receiving treatment at Cedars Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, according to US showbiz website TMZ.

Dr Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, shared an update on Instagram, thanking fans for their support and promising to be home "soon".

He wrote: "Thanks to my family, friends and fans for their interest and well wishes. I'm doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team. I will be out of the hospital and back home soon. Shout out to all the great medical professionals at Cedars. One Love!!"

Dre was a key figure in the early 1990s West Coast hip-hop scene, rising to fame in the late 1980s as part of seminal gangsta rap group NWA.

He launched a successful solo career with 1992 album The Chronic and is a renowned record producer.

Dr Dre was instrumental in the careers of Eminem and 50 Cent.

After news broke he was in hospital, Ice Cube, Dr Dre's close friend and former NWA bandmate, tweeted a picture of the pair together and said: "Send your love and prayers to the homie Dr. Dre."

Snoop Dogg, another close friend and key figure on the early 1990s hip-hop scene, also shared a message of support on social media.

He wrote on Instagram: "GET WELL DR DRE WE NEED U CUZ."

Dr Dre is currently locked in divorce proceedings with estranged wife Nicole.