Rapper Adam Yauch aka MCA of the hip-hip trio Beastie Boys died at the age of 47 after battling cancer.
The news first broke on Yauch’s longtime friend Russell Simmons’ website GlobalGrind.com. When MCA co-founded the Beastie Boys in 1979 with Mike D and Ad-Rock, Simmons was their first manager.
Yauch was diagnosed in 2009 with a cancerous tumor in his parotid gland, underwent surgery and two years of radiation therapy, and announced in January 2011 that he was cancer-free and healthy. As of now, we are unsure if his death is related to illness.
The Beastie Boys haven’t performed live as a group since 2009 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame earlier this year.
Yauch is survived by his wife and daughter.
Thoughts and prayers go out to Adam Yauch’s family and the Beastie Boys. More information will be posted as released.
