Prodigy, one half of rap duo Mobb Deep, has died in Las Vegas at the age of 42. Celebrity news and gossip site TMZ.com was the first to report his passing.
Prodigy was in Vegas over the weekend performing with the “Art of Rap” tour with Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, Ice-T to name a few. Mobb Deep performed Saturday night.
A publicist for the group confirmed Prodigy’s death in a statement to hip-hop magazine and website XXL.
“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.”
Information from TMZ.com and XXL.com contributed to this report.
