With great sadness I’ve taken notice of the news that Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys passed away at age 47. This morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer, Yauch died in his native New York City. Adam was musician, rapper, activist, director and founding member of the Beastie Boys. He also founded the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories,

The Beastie Boys have been of an enormous influence on the hip hop- and music community since their debutalbum came out in 1986. They started as a punkrock group that merged rap with their live music being one of the first crossover rock/rap crews, later influencing groups like mine and many others. I wish the remaining members, his close family relatives lots of love and strength to overcome this great loss.

Yauch was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, resulting in a canceled tour and the delay of their album Hot Sauce Committee. The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.

Source: Pitchfork.com