MCA aka Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys Dead at 47
MCA of the Beastie Boys, aka Adam Yauch, has died at the age of 47. According to TMZ, he announced that he had a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland in 2009, but it’s not yet clear if his death was cancer-related. He leaves behind a wife and daughter.
MCA co-founded Beastie Boys in 1979 along with Mike D and Ad Rock. In 1986, The Beastie Boys released their first full-length album, “Licensed to Ill,” which became the first hip hop album to top the Billboard 200. The group went on to win a number of Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. They haven’t performed live since 2009.
MCA also co-organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts of the late 1990s. In 2002, he launched the film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories, which was in the news as recently as yesterday.
RIP MCA. Here’s a video of “You Gotta Fight” to help us remember his impact on music:
httpv://youtu.be/eBShN8qT4lk
