Prodigy Dead at 42

Prodigy of Mobb Deep has died at age 42. A publicist for the group confirmed to XXL that he was found unconscious this morning and has passed away.

Mobb’s publicist sent 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.”

For his entire career, Prodigy was a master wordsmith, handling the lyrical heft for Mobb Deep while Havoc paved the way as one of New York’s premier producers. Now we will forever mourn the loss of one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Last weekend, Prodigy was in Las Vegas with Havoc, performing on the Art of Rap tour. Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, Ice-T were also on the bill. You can watch a clip of Mobb Deep’s performance below.

Rappers young and old are sharing their shocked reactions to Prodigy’s untimely death, posting photos of the late MC and condolences to his family on social media.

Nas posted a photo of P on Instagram with the caption, “QB RIP King P. Prodigy 4 Ever,” along with the praying hands emoji.

“Don’t want to believe he’s gone. Omg. RIP @prodigymobbdeep #QueensFinest,” Nicki Minaj wrote on Instagram.

We send our condolences to P’s family, friends and colleagues.

XXL