Beastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, has died after a long battle with cancer today. The Brooklyn-born rapper, 47, had been battling the late stages of cancer, which was first diagnosed in 2009, at a New York hospital.
Yauch, who missed the iconic Hip-Hop group’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, was diagnosed in 2009 after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland.
Yauch formed the Beastie Boys with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz back in 1979 and broke Hip-Hop barriers with their hit 1986 album “Licensed to Ill” on Russell Simmons’ Def Jam Records.
“RIP Adam Yauch,” Simmons tweeted today.
“Adam was incredibly sweet and (the) most sensitive artist who I loved dearly and was always inspired by his work. He will be missed by all of us,” Simmons wrote.
R.I.P Adam Yauch.
