Adam Yauch, a third of the seminal hip-hop act the Beastie Boys, has died aged 47.
The rapper, who performed as MCA, had been battling cancer since 2009 after he was diagnosed with a tumour in his parotid gland.
The band's management posted a lengthy statement on the Beastie Boys website:
“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.”
The Brooklyn-born Yauch co-founded the group with Mike "Mike D" Diamond, drummer Kate Schellenbach and guitarist John Berry in 1981. Having started out as a hardcore punk outfit they switched to hip hop in 1984 and two years later released their debut album, the critically acclaimed and highly influential, Licensed to Ill. The record featured two hit singles, (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) and No Sleep Till Brooklyn.
The Beastie Boys went on to sell more than 40 million albums worldwide and win a number of Grammy awards.
Last April the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but Yauch was unable to attend due to his health. His cancer treatments also delayed the release of the group's most recent album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2.
In addition to his career with the Beastie Boys, Yauch was heavily involved in the movement to free Tibet and co-organised the Tibetan Freedom Concerts of the late Nineties.
Adam Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen Wangdu and daughter Tenzin Losel Yauch.
