Havoc had performed with Prodigy in Las Vegas just a few days before the rapper's unexpected death this past Tuesday (June 20), so it's not surprising to hear he was shocked by the news. What is, though, is that upon hearing about P's death, the legendary rapper/producer believed it was simply another entry into a long list of celebrity death hoaxes.

Speaking with TMZ, Hav said he thought P's death was just a bizarre rumor. After all, P had dealt with complications from sickle cell anemia and the rigors of going in and out of hospitals somewhat frequently for well over two decades.

"We used to P going to the hospital, you know what I'm saying?" Havoc explained to TMZ. "Not like every day, but we've been dealing with this for over 20 years. So, you know, P goes to the hospital, stays there for like three days, five tops, and he'd get back better than he out. So it wasn't like no, nothing to be like, 'Oh my god, he crazy sick.' It's just sometimes, he has sickle cell [crises]."

After departing Las Vegas, Hav continually called he and P's road manager to ask for updates on his hospitalized partner's condition, and each time he called, he heard Prodigy's health was improving. Things took a turn for the worst a couple of days later.

"Yesterday, the day of my little son's graduation, somebody called me saying that somebody told them they heard a weird rumor—and this is at 11'o'clock in the morning—they heard that P passed away in a Las Vegas hospital," Hav recalled.

He continued, "Now, I know that he's in the hospital, but come on, I know he's not dead. I mean, he go to the hospital all the time. You know, rumors always like that, get around like, you know, some dumb shit. So, you know, whatever. I was really laughing, to be honest with you. Because I had not directly spoken to P, but I knew his status every day since I left. But then I was like, let me call our road manager, you know, see what's up, just to ease my brain, even though I know it's a lie. So, he called them, and I must have called them back or he called me back, I can't even remember because everything's just so crazy. And the road manager was just crying like I never heard before and I just had to hang up the phone."

Havoc was driving his son to a restaurant when he received the news, and he told TMZ he was so distraught he could have crashed his car. While everyone's been mourning P's untimely death by playing music and looking at old pictures, Hav has had to refrain from doing so, because the pain is just too much.

Speaking with XXL very recently, DJ Whoo Kid, who worked alongside Prodigy for his first solo mixtape, also touched on just how regularly P went to the hospital because of his sickle cell condition.

"His sickness came out into the music," Whoo Kid explained. "It took me awhile to get to know him and become his friend, but I have a total understanding of where he comes from. This is years of battling. He almost died a few times. I remember when we were in Europe, he couldn’t do two shows. We had to e-vac him to an hospital and then send him home. He’s a fighter, he was dealing with this sickness for awhile."

Check out the video of Havoc's interview with TMZ just below.