Sad news to report. Prodigy of the group Mobb Deep has passed away, according to TMZ.

As of now, the cause of death is unknown.  But he's suffered from sickle cell disease for many years and has openly talked about it in interviews and in his music. This past weekend, he and his partner Havoc were on the road with KRS-One, Ice-T, Ghostface Killah and Onyx as part of the Art of Rap tour.

(Hip Hop reacts to Prodigy's death.)

Prodigy was 42 years old at the time of his death. We'll update the details about his tragic passing as they become available.

Update: Here's a statement from Mobb’s publicist.

“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.”

He had been hospitalized during a meet and great in Las Vegas on Saturday night. It was 110 degrees in Vegas this weekend, and it's believed his sickle cell was exacerbated by the extreme heat.