Adam Yauch Co-founder of The Beastie Boys
Adam Yauch, co-founder of The Beastie Boys

Yesterday was a sad day for the hip hop fraternity as pioneering Beastie Boys rapper Adam Yauch passed away at the age 47. Yauch had been undergoing treatment for cancer since 2009, for which he was diagnosed after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland.

The Beastie Boys were inducted in into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, which Yauch sat out due to treatments. The band’s most recent album’s (Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2) release date was also delayed. The Beastie Boys have not performed live since 2009, and due to Yauch’s illness the group was unable to shoot music videos for their latest album.

The Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys

Yauch was responsible for co-founding the group along with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz in 1979. When the boys first started out they were known as a hard-core punk rock group, and eventually found their forte in hip-hop. The Beastie Boys gained a lot of hype and attention with their album Licensed to Ill in 1986, and Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, and Ill Communication brought them massive international fame.

The Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys

Yauch was deeply involved in the free Tibet movement, and co-organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts in the late 90s, and in 2002 Yauch launched a film production company called Oscilloscope Laboratories.

R.I.P.