Music
20 Jun 17

Hip-hop legend Prodigy, from Mobb Deep, dies aged 42

The New York rap legend, who achieved fame as one part of the Mobb Deep duo, died due to complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis.

Prodigy's career spanned more than three decades, but it was at its height during the boom of East Coast rap in the mid-'90s, where he released a series of landmark albums including The Infamous and Hell On Earth, with fellow New York rapper Havoc, as part of the group Mobb Deep.

The news of the rapper's death first broke when Nasir Jones (Nas) posted a picture on Instagram saying: QB RIP King P. Prodigy 4 Ever

?? QB RIP King P. Prodigy 4 Ever

A post shared by Nasir Jones (@nas) on Jun 20, 2017 at 10:33am PDT

Mobb’s publicist sent hip-hop magazine XXL the following statement:

“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.”

Relive The Infamous in full: