Nearly two months after rapper Prodigy of Mobb Deep died, his cause of death has been revealed.
According to multiple outlets, the trailblazing artist died from accidentally choking on an egg in the hospital where he was being treated for sickle cell anemia. An investigation to determine whether it was the choking or the symptoms of the disorder he’d been battling for days is now complete.
As previously reported, the 42-year-old was hospitalized in Las Vegas due to complications associated with sickle cell, following a performance in the desert city, Associated Press reported at the time.
“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,” his rep said in a statement. “Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis.”
The statement continued, “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.”
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News of Prodigy’s passing first hit social media when fellow hip hop star Nas shared a photo of his close friend, accompanied by a tribute. “QB RIP King P,” he wrote to his followers. “Prodigy 4 Ever.”
On Thursday, June 29, the hip hop community gathered to say their goodbyes to the rapper at an open funeral service held at Frank E. Campbell Chapel in New York City. Guests included Prodigy’s groupmate, Mobb Deep’s Havoc, 50 Cent, LL Cool J, Ice-T, Remy Ma, Fat Joe and Questlove.
Following the ceremony, attendees flooded social media with final farewells. “A moment of silence for a great lyricist. Poet. Wordsmith. Fighter. Hip Hop King. This one hit home. Glad we spoke a little before your transition. Time is precious, don’t waste it, have those difficult conversations now because tomorrow is never promised. Luv Forever. Wish I was in America to see u off today MY G. Sendin Luv & Light to Havoc & Condolences to your families. RIP P may your light help us find our way! Shout out to Hempstead L.I. and the 41 side of 12th St, QB ☀️☀️☀️ YERRRRRR!! THUNNNNNNNN ! One Love,” wrote Nas via Instagram.
“I remember I had Pun signed to loud records and we would see Hav and P there all the time and would just tell jokes and of course PUN would be pranking us. I stood in the funeral today in disbelief I was so overwhelmed with sorrow just as a fan of Hip Hop music. I couldn’t believe we lost a Giant. his music was original and always authentic. he and Hav stayed true to their sound. as I look in the room and saw so many people who have played a part in my life I realized how blessed we are to have had one another in this industry. first we Rap then promote then hit the road to pay our bills. I know I’ve been threw ups and downs financially and emotionally I can only imagine how hard it was for P to be fighting an illness his whole life and still provided for his family and most of all he did it for his fans. New York we lost a king , a genius a legend I will truly miss him and always have love for the infamous Mobb Deep. Rip Prodigy ???,” Fat Joe recalled.
