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Adam Yauch, part of the groundbreaking hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys died Friday after a lengthy struggle with cancer. He was 47.

He was diagnosed in 2009 after doctors found a tumor in his salivary gland, according to Rolling Stone.com, which confirmed his death. The Beasties were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, but Yauch was unable to attend due to his illness. The band released an album entitled Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. II, last year but it had been delayed due Yauch’s medical treatments. He was also unable to appear in videos for the album, the website said.

Yauch’s death was first reported by music impresario Russell Simmons’ GlobalGrind.com.

Yauch—commonly known by his rap moniker “MCA”—co-founded the group with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz in 1979. He had taught himself to play bass guitar while attending Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.

At that point, the Beasties were a punk band, during an era in New York where hip-hop was still a burgeoning art form. But before long they had begun experimenting with rap, and eventually developed their own unique sound that was a mix of a raw, funky street free flow and hard-hitting rock-inspired guitart rifts, backed by thunderous bass. The result was their 1986 debut Licensed to Ill, with their breakout hits “Brass Monkey” and “Fight for Your Right to Party.” The album earned them a respected place among other early hip-hop acts including Run-DMC and LL Cool J, with whom they toured.

Subsequent releases included Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication and Hello, Nasty. In all, the Beastie Boys released nine albums, selling more than 10 million copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Yauch later became a major supporter of efforts to free Tibet from mainland Chinese rule and was behind several concerts to raise money and awareness toward the issue. “What we’re really trying to do is create more of a forum for the Tibetans themselves to be able to speak,” he told PBS’s Frontline.

Simmons, whose Def Jam label the Beastie Boys recorded on earlier in their careers, said on his Twitter account: “Adam was incredibly sweet and (the) most sensitive artist who I loved dearly and was always inspired by his work. He will be missed by all of us.”
Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and daughter Tenzin Losel.
Read more: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/05/04/adam-yauch-mca-of-the-beastie-boys-dies-after-cancer-battle/?xid=gonewsedit#ixzz1tvig0dmC

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