Beastie Boys Hip-Hop Legend MCA Passes Away at Age 47

Today, Brooklyn native Adam Yauch AKA MCA of The Beastie Boys passed away at age 47. A hip-hop legend and a huge icon in the music industry, the death of MCA comes as very unfortunate news. In 2009 Yauch was diagnosed for a tumor in his salivary gland, but it is unclear whether his death was related to that. In April The Beastie Boys were selected to be a part of the 2012 class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (a ceremony MCA had to sit out due to his health issues.) The group also dealt with some delays with the release of their most recent album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2.

MCA was the co-founder of The Beastie Boys, when they first started as a hardcore punk band in 1979. But times changed, and the group gravitated more toward the hip-hop lifestyle, and influenced the music game immensely especially with MCA being a part of that. The band blew up after the release of their albums Paul’s Botique, Check Your Head, and Ill Communication. So it’s definitely sad to hear the news about the member of an amazing group of musicians passing away, but MCA and The Beastie Boys will undoubtedly always live on.

Text: Jude Liana