Tributes flood in for Mobb Deep star Prodigy following his death at 42
Mobb Deep star Prodigy has passed away aged 42 from complications caused by sickle cell disease days after performing in Las Vegas, his publicist has confirmed.
The rapper – whose real name was Albert Johnson – rose to fame in 1993 with the release of his album Juvenile Hell and follow up hit record Infamous.
He passed away in Las Vegas after being hospitalised “a few days ago” and suffered from sickle cell anaemia, a gynetic disorder that affects the red blood cells that deliver oxygen throughout the body.
“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 hospitalised a few days ago in Vegas after a performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anaemia 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,” his publicist said in a statement.
The musician was joined in Mobb Deep with his friend Havoc, and he leaves behind a huge musical legacy in the hip hop world. The pair first broke out onto the music scene in the early 1990s, and were hailed as “one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast Hip-Hop groups.”
Prodigy also had a solo career which he launched in 2000, and his latest album ‘Hegelian Dialectic’, was released in January.
Tributes have poured in for Prodigy, with fellow rapper Nas marking his death by posting a picture on his Instagram page with the caption: “QB RIP King P.”
A true legend of the game, one of the greats to put NY on the map #RIP #Prodigy pic.twitter.com/u0E6SMTuF6
— Twista (@TWISTAgmg) June 20, 2017
To have lived in a time. #ripprodigy
A post shared by WORLDWIDE MUSIC. (@zanelowe) on Jun 20, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT
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) June 20, 2017
Lil Wayne also paid tribute, telling his fans: Damn. “RiP to the great one Prodigy. Rap game lost a legend the world lost a G….”
Mobb Deep was founded in the early 1990s with Havoc, also known as Kejuan Muchita.
Prodigy was on tour in Las Vegas at the time of his death, following a performance on Saturday as part of the ‘Art of Rap’ tour alongside the likes of Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, and Ice-T.
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