Wiz Khalifa, Big Boi and Ciara were also among celebrities paying tribute to the member of legendary '90s rap duo Mobb Deep who passed away at 42.
- Jun 21, 2017
AceShowbiz - Prodigy of Mobb Deep has died in Las Vegas. The member of the legendary '90s New York hip-hop duo passed away at 42 on Tuesday, June 20 after being hospitalized a few days ago in Las Vegas "for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis," his publicist confirmed to TMZ.
"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 statement read. "We would like to thank everyone for respecting the family's privacy at this time."
Prodigy had battled sickle cell since his birth, but "the exact cause of death has not been determined," the publicist added. TMZ revealed that the rapper choked on an egg on Tuesday morning in the hospital, where he had been getting treatment for his sickle anemia crisis.
The site claimed officials are currently trying to find out if it was the choking or the sickle cell symptoms he'd been battling for days that caused his death.
Prodigy was in Vegas over the weekend to perform "with the Art of Rap tour ... with Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, and Ice-T ... to name a few. Mobb Deep performed Saturday night." It was said that Prodigy told Ice-T goodbye when he was on his way out of the venue to get some rest in his hotel. His publicist revealed the rapper had to be hospitalized sometime after his condition worsened.
Quickly after the sad news surfaced, many notable hip-hop stars paid their respects to the fallen rapper on social media. Nas took to his Instagram account to say, "QB RIP King P. Prodigy 4 Ever."
On Twitter, rapper Lil Wayne wrote, "Damn. RiP to the great one Prodigy. Rap game lost a legend the world lost a G. [praying hands emoji] to and for his fam. Love. MOBB."
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
Big Boi tweeted alongside a photo of the deceased hip-hop legend, "Prodigy God Bless Your Soul."
#RIP Prodigy God Bless Your Soul pic.twitter.com/hUAbCmdXoM
— Big Boi (@BigBoi) June 20, 2017
Wiz Khalifa similarly wrote, "Rip prodigy. God bless his family and all his fans. Mobb forever."
Rip prodigy. God bless his family and all his fans. Mobb forever.
— Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) June 20, 2017
Beautiful singer Ciara also remembered the late rapper, tweeting, "Rest In Peace #Prodigy," adding a heart emoji.
Rest In Peace #Prodigy ❤️
— Ciara (@ciara) June 20, 2017
