Beastie Boy Adam "MCA" Yauch Dead At Age 47

Beastie Boy Adam "MCA" Yauch Dead At Age 47

May 4, 2012

Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys has passed away at the age of 47, following a battle with throat cancer. A statement on BeastieBoys.com reads, "It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam 'MCA' Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old."

In 2009, Yauch and the Beas ties revealed he had been treated for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node. He underwent surgery and radiation therapy. At the time, the Beasties delayed the release of their new album, which came out last year as Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. The Beasties were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just last month, though Yauch did not attend the ceremony in Cleveland. His bandmates Mike Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz read a thank you statement in his absence.

Yauch, Diamond and Horovitz formed the Beastie Boys as a teenage Punk band in the late '70s and the group morphed into a Hip-Hop act. Highly influenced by their hometown of New York City, and unique for consisting of three Jewish white rappers, the Beasties blew up with their debut album Licensed To Ill in 1986. The smash hit record made the trio infamous for its jokey, frat boy themes and landed them an opening slot tour ing with Madonna.

The sample-heavy follow-up Paul's Boutique was considered a flop upon release but went on to be a critical favorite. In 1992, the Beasties' Check Your Head melded their early live Punk influences with Rap and brought the hit single "So Whatchu Want." The follow-up Ill Communication in 1994 debuted at #1 with the huge hit "Sabotage" and its iconic music video. The follow-up "Sure Shot" was another huge hit. The Beasties headlined Lollapalooza that summer and were considered one of the major artists of the '90s alternative scene.

During this time period, Yauch became closely involved with the issue of human rights in Tibet, rapping about it on Ill Communication and organizing the Tibetan Freedom Concerts. Yauch also began directing many of the Beasties' videos under the Swiss alter ego "Nathanial Hörnblowér," playing the character in videos and at the MTV Movie Awards. He also founded Oscilloscope Laboratories, as a recording studio and then a film distribution company. 

The Beasties had continued success with 1997's Hello Nasty, featuring the sci-fi themed hit "Intergalactic." In 2004, the B-Boys returned with To The 5 Boroughs, a post-9/11 love letter to the Big Apple.

Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and their daughter Tenzin.