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Adam Yauch, one-third of the pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 48, Rolling Stone has learned. Yauch, also known as MCA, had been in treatment for cancer since 2009. The rapper was diagnosed in 2009 after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland.
Yauch sat out the Beastie Boys' induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, and his treatments delayed the release of the group's most recent album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. The Beastie Boys had not performed live since the summer of 2009, and Yauch's illness prevented the group from appearing in music videos for Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2.
Yauch co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz in 1979. The band started off as a hardcore punk group, but soon began experimenting with hip-hop. The band broke big with their first proper album, Licensed to Ill, in 1986, and further albums Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication cemented the band as a true superstar act.
In addition to his career with the Beastie Boys, Yauch was heavily involved in the movement to free Tibet and co-organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts of the late Nineties. In 2002, he launched the film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Re: Beastie Boys Co-Founder Adam Yauch Dead at 48
Anything you can achieve through hard work, you could also just buy.
ditto. devastated.
Sad. He did an interview on Fresh Aire w/ Terri Gross (NPR) last year that I thought was very interesting.
Joseph Henry was born at home on March 9, 2009
Nora Mae was born at home on October 30, 2011
Moxie gives Scout the side eye
Delurking, because this just bums me out so. much. I kind of felt like I'd been kicked in the gut when I saw the news. The Beastie Boys were a huge part of my youth, and I had *such* a crush on him. Such an amazing man.
Yup.
my read shelf:
Oh, no.
I'm so sad. This is awful. No one should die at 48. F|_|ck you, yet again, cancer.
RIP MCA.
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home D
Of the many, many things awesome things about the Beastie Boys, back in 2004, they donated a huge amount of money to the rescue group I was volunteering for. Apparently they donated money to small local rescues in all of the cities they played. Their money went a long way in helping our group. I didn't get to meet them, but the woman who founded the rescue did. The funny thing is, she wasn't too familiar with their music but she said they were the nicest guys. Just really truly awesome. You'd never know they were famous.
I think this is the first celebrity death that has really truly broke my heart a little and made me really sad. Even the big ones like Princess Di and Michael Jackson, I was sorry they died and all, but it didn't really move me. But this one.... it hurts.
Gonna listen to some Paul's Boutique tonight for sure.