Prodigy cause of death: Mobb Deep member died from choking on an egg, coroner confirms

The rapper was being treated for sickle cell anaemia in hospital

Mobb Deep‘s Prodigy died after choking on an egg while being treated for sickle cell anaemia in hospital, a coroner has confirmed.

The rapper — real name is Albert Johnson — was on tour in Las Vegas alongside Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, and Ice-T, when the incident occurred 20 June.

Clark County’s medical examiner ruled Prodigy died from ‘accidental choking’, TMZ reporting that an egg was involved.

Sickle cell anaemia is a condition in which red blood cells contort into a sickle shape and die early, leaving a shortage of healthy red blood cells that can lead to a painful blockage of blood flow.

“As most of his fans know, Prodigy battled the disease since birth,” a statement from Prodigy’s publicist, released following his death, said.

Prodigy first broke out onto the music scene with Mobb Deep in the 1990s. Along with Havoc, the duo participated in various high profile feuds, having high-profile rivalries with rappers Tupac and Biggie Smalls.

The group’s influential music has been described as a "raw, vivid, and vicious distillation of East Coast gangsta rap”, their biggest albums being The Infamous and Hell on Earth.

Prodigy launched his solo career in 2000, releasing multiple mix-tapes and albums, his most recent release being the January record Hegelian Dialectic.

Frequent collaborator and fellow rapper Nas was one of the first to pay tribute, writing in a social media post: "QB RIP King P. Prodigy 4 Ever".