MCA Dead at Age 47

Huffington Post:

Adam Yauch, a member of the Beastie Boys who performed under the stage name MCA, is dead. The group confirmed the sad news on its website, issuing the following statement:

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.

Yauch's mother Frances told the New York Times that her son died at 9 a.m. Friday, surrounded by family, at Manhattan's New York-Presbyterian Hospital, to which he had been admitted on April 14.

In July 2009, Yauch announced that he would be receiving treatment for a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland, and that, as a result, the Beastie Boys would cancel some future shows and push back the release of a new album.

In 2011 it was erroneously reported that Yauch had beaten the disease. He responded to the rumor on the band's website, writing:

"Hello My Friends While I’m grateful for all the positive energy people are sending my way, reports of my being totally cancer free are exaggerated. I’m continuing treatment, staying optimistic and hoping to be cancer free in the near future."

Most recently, it appeared Yauch's health had taken a turn for the worse when he proved unable to attend the Beastie Boys' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on April 14.

Yauch and Michael "Mike D" Diamond first performed as the Beastie Boys with John Berry and Kate Schellenbach in 1981. Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz replaced Berry in 1982.

The permanent lineup of Yauch, Diamond and Horovitz released eight albums. On Saturday, May 5, HBO will air the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony honoring the Beastie Boys, who became just the third rap group to enter the Hall, after Run-D.M.C. (2009) and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (2007). The band's albums have sold over 40 million copies worldwide.