Mobb Deep's Prodigy Has Passed Away Aged 42

New York rapper Albert Johnson, better known by his stage name, Prodigy, has died in Las Vegas at the age of 42.

One-half of venerated east-coast hip hop duo Mobb Deep, Prodigy's death has been confirmed by his publicist as well as journalist and writer Kathy Iandoli, who co-authored last year's Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook with the rapper.

As CNN notes, no cause of death has been officially established, though Prodigy had suffered complications from sickle cell anemia, a lifelong illness, and resulted in a stay in hospital.

Prodigy met his Mobb Deep collaborator, Kejuan "Havoc" Muchita, in high school, releasing their debut album, Juvenile Hell, in 1993. They followed up two years later with sophomore effort The Infamous and remained prolific for the next decade, releasing another five albums through till 2006's Blood Money.

An arrest on weapons charges that year saw Prodigy sentenced in 2007 to three-and-a-half years at New York's Mid-State Correctional Facility, before a falling out with Havoc in 2012 — which played out publicly on Twitter and at the pair's SXSW appearance that year — complicated their relationship.

However, Havoc and Prodigy mended fences well enough to release their eighth studio album, The Infamous Mobb Deep, in 2014, and had continued performing together.

The duo is regarded as one of the most successful hip hop groups of all time, and their broad influence on the development of east-coast hip hop through the late 1990s and beyond is felt in the music of countless younger acts.

Prodigy has been memorialised extensively on social media since news broke of his passing; see below for a selection of statements from the likes of Missy Elliott, Flying Lotus, Ice-T, Mike Tyson, G-Eazy, Wesley Snipes, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lil Wayne and more.

I lost my friend. I lost my brother. But I know the whole world is feeling this right now. My heart hurts. Rest easy, P.

— kathy iandoli (@kath3000) June 20, 2017

https://t.co/CQJh0g8iSv RIP PRODIGY So SAD TO HEAR WE LOST ANOTHER LEGEND. THE MUSIC YOU CREATED IS TIMELESS! YOU WILL NEVER B 4GOTTE

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) June 21, 2017

Prodigy ! RiP I'll never forget going to New York and hearing mobb deep for the first time. In queens. Life changing sound. Hell on earth.

— FLYLO (@flyinglotus) June 20, 2017

Rest In Peace prodigy mobb deep #4L

— Saint Laurent Don (@21savage) June 21, 2017

infamous mobb deep prodigy RIP - had us all shook!

— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) June 20, 2017

RIP Prodigy... Mobb Deep was one of my favorite groups man.... Sad day

— G-Eazy (@G_Eazy) June 20, 2017

Rest In Power #Prodigy #MobbDeep pic.twitter.com/fzn6sBsOjp

— Wesley Snipes (@wesleysnipes) June 20, 2017

Rest In Peace to Prodigy of Mobb Deep, writer of the immortal line "I'm only 19 but my mind is older..." https://t.co/0iMKhnWNPD

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 20, 2017

They both mobbing in heaven RIP Yams x RIP Prodigy pic.twitter.com/999DJ5WiL4

— HOOD POPE (@ASAPferg) June 20, 2017

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

Pic from 3days ago.. Sat Night in Vegas… @Raekwon ‘PRODIGY’ @GhostfaceKillah @mobbdeephavoc A Legend is Lost… So terrible... pic.twitter.com/Jl7bjvqubi

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) June 20, 2017

Rip prodigy. God bless his family and all his fans. Mobb forever.

— Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) June 20, 2017

rest in power prodigy

— thebe kgositsile (@earlxsweat) June 20, 2017

RIP #hiphop #legend #prodigy #mobbdeep just saw him Saturday in Vegas at #AllEyezOnMe. #ShookOnes #condolences

— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) June 21, 2017