Rapper Prodigy of hip-hop duo Mobb Deep has died at the age of 42. He was found unconscious in Las Vegas and the cause of death remains unclear.
A statement from Mobb Deep’s publicist sent to XXL read: “It is with extreme sadness and disbelief that we confirm the death of our dear friend Albert Johnson, better known to millions of fans as Prodigy of legendary NY rap duo Mobb Deep. Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis. As most of his fans know, Prodigy battled the disease since birth. The exact causes of death have yet to be determined. We would like to thank everyone for respecting the family’s privacy at this time.”
Prodigy rose to prominence with his partner Havoc and as Mobb Deep they went on to sell over 3m records. Their albums The Infamous and Hell On Earth were two of the most influential hip-hop albums to be released in the 90s. Their last album, The Infamous Mobb Deep, was released in 2014. They had been performing in Las Vegas as part of the The Art Of Rap tour that also included Ice-T, Ghostface Killah and Onyx.
Meanwhile, a host of hip-hop stars have offered their condolences over social media.
Damn. RiP to the great one Prodigy. Rap game lost a legend the world lost a G. 🙏🏽 to and for his fam. Love. MOBB
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) 20 June 2017
Rip prodigy. God bless his family and all his fans. Mobb forever.
— Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) 20 June 2017
