Rap artist Prodigy has died at the age of 42, sending a shock through the hip hop community he has been a part of for more than two decades.

Soon after his death was confirmed, some of the biggest names in rap expressed their grief in tributes to the fallen artist.

While his cause of death was not immediately clear, Prodigy - whose real name is Albert Johnson - suffered from sickle cell anaemia throughout his life. That condition is a condition that affects red blood cells, which contort into a sickle shape and die early. That early mortality for the cells results in a shortage of red blood cells, which can lead to blocked blood flow.

Prodigy was in Las Vegas at the time of his death, on tour with his famed duo Mobb Deep. He had been checked into a hospital in the days following a Saturday performance, which occurred during the "Art of Rap" tour, which includes Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, and Ice-T.

"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 publicist said in a statement. He was taken to the hospital "a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anaemia 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".

Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 Show all 6 1 /6 Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 Getty Prodigy (left), born Albert Johnson, has died at age 42. He and Havoc, born, Kejuan Muchita, broke out onto the music scene as Mobb Deep in the 1990s Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 Prodigy performs at the Art of Rap festival at the Hollywood Casino Ampitheater in Tinley Park, Illinois, USA on 05 August 2016 Rex Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 Kejuan Muchita (Havoc) and Albert Johnson (Prodigy) on stage together at the Art of Rap festival Rex Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 The rapper with his daughter Tasia Johnson at the Cinemax screening for ‘The Nick’ in New York City on July 23 2014 Getty Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 Mobb Deep’s Prodigy at a Puma and Alife Sessions Party in London on 30 April 2015 Rex Prodigy: Mobb Deep rapper dead at 42 Prodigy performs onstage at the JAM awards and concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom on 29 November 2007 Getty