It’s with great sadness the Hip Hop world has received the news about yet another much too early death of one of its greats: Prodigy, one-half of the legendary Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep, passed away today in Las Vegas – he was only 42 years old.

Mobb Deep’s publicist sent the following statement to 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. 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.”

Rest in peace Prodigy.