Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys Dead at 47

Adam Horovitz Adam Yauch Beastie Boys Mike Diamond

1:00 pm, May 4th, 2012

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Adam Yauch has died at age 47.

The Beastie Boys member known as MCA lost his battle with cancer on Friday.

The band issued the following statement on its site: “It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys… passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer.”

Yauch revealed his diagnosis in 2009.

He and fellow Beastie Boy members Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, although Yauch was unable to attend due to his illness.

Yauch is survived by his wife, daughter, and parents.

Watch one of Beastie Boys’ most memorable early hits — “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” — below.

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