Choking death! Rapper Prodigy’s death attributed to choking over an egg in a HOSPITAL! What first-aid should have been given to save him?
Prodigy’s death
Rapper Prodigy (Albert Johnson) was an American actor, rapper, and author. He was part of the two-membered hip-hop group called as ‘Mobb Deep’. The other person in this duo group was Havoc.
He performed last on the Art of Rap Tour with other artists such as Ice-T, Ghostface Killah, and Havoc. He was doing fine until he developed his sickle cell anemia crisis.
Prodigy is said to be having defective red blood cells. His red blood cells were not flexible and round, but rigid and sticky with the shape of a sickle (crescent).
They used to often get stuck in his blood vessels leading to diminished oxygen to the part and pain (crisis). This being a genetic disorder has no cure. Repeated blood transfusions are required to control the pain.
On 20 June 2017, it was reported that Prodigy had died at the hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada where he was admitted. It came as a shock to his fans.
His rep had issued a statement and said:
“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.”
He added:
“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.”
His friends and co-rappers expressed their condolences through social media.
You may also like to read Suicide by hanging! The Prodigy band lead singer Keith Flint dies at age 49!
The cause of the death
Less than 2 months after the rapper passed away at the not-so-old age of 42 years, the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner, Nevada came out with the postmortem findings of the cause of his death.
They revealed that the famed rapper had died of ‘accidental choking’. It has been revealed that the rapper had died due to choking over an egg.
Surprising that it had happened when the rapper was in the hospital! It has not been mentioned whether any first aid was offered to the rapper while this had happening.
Also read Prodigy band’s security man Con Murphy dies after a decade-long battle with myeloma!
First-aid for choking episode
Choking over food is a common thing in all age groups. Choking is said to take place when a foreign body gets lodged in an individual’s windpipe.
This makes breathing difficult and oxygen from the body gets cut off. It becomes a matter of life and death and immediate first aid can save the person’s life! What could have been done?
Whenever a person chokes on food or any other item, the Red Cross recommends a ‘five-and-five’ approach. Immediately the following should be done:
- 5 back blows: Deliver 5 back blows between the choked person’s shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
- 5 abdominal thrusts: If the above does not help, immediately hold the person from behind, wrap your hands around the waist, place your hands over the upper part of his/her abdomen in the center, and give abdominal thrusts five times.
- Continue 1 and 2 above till the food or foreign body is dislodged from the windpipe and the person is able to breathe properly.
- If the above measures fail, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be initiated!
This life-saving technique can save a life!