All About Snoop Dogg's Parents, Beverly Tate and Vernell Varnado

Mar. 15, 2025

Left: Snoop Dogg and his father Vernell Varnado attend the ceremony honoring Snoop Dogg with a Star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Right: Snoop Dogg with his mom, Beverly Tate.Photo:Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty Images Snoop Dogg/Instagram

Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty Images Snoop Dogg/Instagram

Snoop Doggwill never forget where he came from.

Born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. in Long Beach, Calif., to parents Vernell Varnado and Beverly Tate, Snoop was one of three boys growing up.

Snoop — whose father was largely out of the picture when he was a child — is named after his stepfather, to whom his mom was married until 1975. “Me and my father are real cool. It wasn’t like he ran out on us,” he toldSPINin 1993. “But basically my mama raised me. My mamdidraise me.”

The Emmy Award winner got his musical start as a young boy, acting in plays, singing in the choir and playing the piano at Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church. “I thank my auntie, my mom and my grandmother forbringing me up in church, making me do speeches and perform,” he told PEOPLE in 2024. “All of that was training me.”

“Snoop was always extraordinary,” Varnado toldSPINin 1993. “I thought he was a genius. Even when he was like 6 or 7, if music came on, he’d jump up and dance and perform all the hand movements.” In addition to his striking talent, Snoop credits part of his success to his upbringing with his single mom.

“My mother raised me to love people. And I feel like that’s why people love me,” he toldDistractifyin 2023.

Here is everything to know about Snoop Dogg’s parents, Beverly Tate and Vernell Varnado.

They met as kids in Mississippi

Snoop Dogg with his mom Beverly Tate.Big Krunch Instagram

Snoop is also good friends with Mississippi-born athlete and retired NFL quarterbackArchie Manning, even sending him a birthday video greeting on his 75th birthday in 2024 and joking that he was the “fourth Manning brother” the year prior.

Tate was a single mom

After Varnado and Tate’s divorce, he moved to Detroit and she became Snoop’s primary caregiver. Over the years, she did her best to keep the rapper out of trouble.

His mom gave him his iconic nickname

Snoop Dog with his mom, Vernell Vanado.Snoop Dogg/Instagram

Snoop Dogg/Instagram

“My momma gave me the name,” he toldEsquirein 2008. “I used to lovePeanutsand Charlie Brown — Snoopy was my favorite cartoon character growing up. I watched so much, I started to look like him.”

Tate was an author

Snoop Dogg’s mother, Beverly Tate, addresses students at the Epiphany School in Dorchester, speaking out against youth violence.David Goldman/Getty Images

David Goldman/Getty Images

Snoops’ mom served as a church choir director for many decades and later became an ordained Evangelist who spoke at various religious events around the country.

Tate also authored two books:Real LoveandReal Love II: The Story of an Extraordinary Woman, the latter detailing the journey from her childhood in the south to Hollywood’s bright lights.

Snoop and his dad share a striking resemblance

Snoop Dogg with his dad, Vernell Varnado.Snoop Dogg/Facebook

Snoop Dogg/Facebook

In a photo Snoop posted around the time of therepass servicefor his brother,Bing Worthington, who died in 2024 at 44 years old, the musician twinned with his dad.

The pair, both donning blue ensembles, sat next to each other, Varnado with his arm around his son.

‘‘Family 👊🏿👏🏿💯 @popsnoop,’’ Snoopcaptionedthe post.

Varnado is a Vietnam War veteran

Snoop Dogg and his father, Vernell Varnado, attended the BET Hip Hop Awards on September 17, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia.Robin L Marshall/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Robin L Marshall/FilmMagic/Getty Images

At 18 years old, Snoop’s father was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. After being shot four times during his service, Varnado received a Purple Heart. Varnado’s experience in the military inspired Snoop to consider joining the United States Air Force after high school.

“We were gonna graduate from high school, right? So we went down to the registration office downtown at Long Beach. Me, Duke and a couple other homies,” Snoop shared in anInstagram Reelon Memorial Day in 2023. “So we’re in there filling out the paperwork and I’m looking at all the questions that they asking me and tryna decide, ‘Do I really wanna go through with this Air Force thing?’ "

“I said, ‘Duke, give me a minute. I’ll be right back, I’ma go the car.’ Went to the car and never came back,” he continued. “And then four years later, my homeboy was a true vet, Air Force soldier.”

He added: “I love you for that, man. Appreciate the love, man. All the troops out there, y’all know I love y’all.”

Varnado is an actor and singer

Snopp Doggs dad, Vernell Varnado.Snoop Dogg/Instagram

After being a mail carrier and having a gospel career in the ‘80s performing alongside his four brothers, Snoop’s father ventured into acting.

Varnado is best known for his roles inMake It Rain(2008) and the 2017 biopicAll Eyez on Me, where he starred alongside Kat Graham to detail the story ofTupac Shakur’s life and death.

Varnado is a proud grandfather and great-grandfather

Through Snoop, Varnado is a grandfather to four, Corde, Cordell, Cori and Julian, and a great-grandfather to seven, Zion, Elleven, Cordoba, Kai, Sky, Chateau and Cordell and Phia’s third child, whose name they have not shared.

Varnado shares about his grandchildren and great-grandchildren often onInstagram, bragging about their accomplishments and sharing family memories.

Tate died in 2021

After experiencing undisclosed health issues, Snoop’smother passed awayin October 2021 at the age of 70. In a series of heartfelt tributes, Snoop honored his late mom.

“Thank u God for giving me an angel 🕊 for a mother 💖🙏🏽🌹💝 TWMA,” he alsoshared.

source: people.com