R.I.P. Beastie Boys MCA – Adam Yauch

“Beastie Boys” MCA — his real name was Adam Yauch — has died. He was 47…

Adam had been fighting cancer of the parotid gland and a lymph node since 2009 but the illness got the better of him.

Adam is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter, Tenzin Losel Yauch.

Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys has passed away at the age of 47, following a battle with throat cancer. In 2009, Yauch and the Beasties revealed he had been treated for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node. He underwent surgery and radiation therapy. At the time, the Beasties delayed the release of their new album, which came out last year as Hot Sauce Committee Part 2. The Beasties were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just last month, though Yauch did not attend the ceremony in Cleveland. His bandmates Mike Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz read a thank you statement in his absence. A memorial is being planned.

Memories: Beastie Boy Adam Yauch storms the stage as Nathaniel Hornblower to dispute R.E.M.’s Best Director win for ‘Everybody Hurts’ at the 1994 Video Music Awards.