The Beastie Boys, from left, Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horovitz, Adam 'MCA' Yauch, and Michael 'Mike D' Diamond. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Adam “MCA” Yauch, a co-founder of the Beastie Boys, reportedly died after a long battle with cancer at age 47.
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He first announced he had cancer in 2009, after he was diagnosed with a cancerous parotid gland. He underwent surgery and radiation therapy.
Yauch co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz in 1979. They gained fame with their album Licensed to Ill in 1986, which features tracks like “Fight For Your Right,” “Girls” and “No Sleep Til Brooklyn.”
He recently missed the trio’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, and his illness delayed the release of their most recent album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. It also prevented them from appearing in music videos.
The Beastie Boy’s most recent music video was released in 2011 for the track “Make Some Noise.” It featured stars including Will Arnett, John C. Reilly, Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Steve Buscemi, Amy Poehler and Rainn Wilson.
Yauch was also a Buddhist who was heavily involved in the free Tibet movement. He helped organize the Tibetan Freedom Concerts in the late 90s.
In 20o2, he launched the film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories.
The Beastie Boys had not performed live since the summer of 2009. Other notable albums from the group included Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication, which they won several Grammy awards for.
