Prodigy, the other half of Mobb Deep duo, passed away two days after he performed for the "Art of Rap" tour on Saturday. The show's lineup included Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, Ice-T and took place at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. On the same day, the 42-year-old rap icon was hospitalized after he suffered from complications of Sickle Cell Anemia, which he had been fighting since birth.
The Guardian noted that the cause of death is still unknown at the time being. The duo's publicist confirmed his passing in an official statement posted on 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," the notice read.
The publicist ended its short statement by thanking the fans for respecting the privacy of the bereaved family as they mourn the death of a loved one. The passing of the Mobb Deep rapper came as a shock to all his colleagues in the music industry.
In fact, some of them have paid their tributes to Prodigy on social media.
Gone too soon
Lil Wayne said the rap scene has "lost a legend" with the passing of Prodigy, while Wiz Khalifa extended his condolences to the family and fans of the late Mobb Deep rapper. And just like these hip-hop figures, music fans were also devastated when they heard the unfortunate news today. Some of them shared his photos, while others remembered some of his greatest hits with Havoc.
#RIPProdigy is currently the top trending topic on Twitter with thousands of music fans all over the world expressing their love for the legendary rapper. Meanwhile, Mobb Deep's Havoc remembered his partner in a sentimental Instagram post and wrote, "Forever," along with an old photo of him and Prodigy.
The infamous life of a rapper
Prodigy had made no effort to hide his health condition to his colleagues and fans. In fact, the rapper had discussed his disease in a previous interview with Jesse Thorn, where he revealed that sickle cell anemia is hereditary and is considered a rare blood disorder. He added severe pain starts when blood cells start interlocking with each other.
Kathy Iandoli, a music journalist who co-authored Prodigy's "Commissary Kitchen" cookbook, revealed the rapper was planning to produce a musical about Illuminati and its impact in hip-hop music before he passed away. She added that the idea was like a semi-autobiographical where the story begins in prison.