Sad news for the music community today. Original Beastie Boys member MCA, real name Adam Yauch, has passed away at age 47. In 2009, the ground breaking MC announced that he was being treated for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node and had begun undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Russell Simmons website GlobalGrind.com was the first to report on Yauch’s passing today, though it is unclear whether his battle with cancer was the direct cause of death.

After forming the Beastie Boys in 1979 with friends Mike D, Mix Master Mike, and Ad Roc, the group went on to change the face and sound of hip hop, winning multiple Grammy’s and international success. Most recently the Beastie Boys released Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 in 2011, delaying the album a number of times because of Yach’s failing health condition. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in December 2011.

Adam Yauch is survived by his wife and daughter and will be sadly missed.

MuchMusic will be airing RIP MCA: A Beastie Boy Remembered this Sunday, May 6 at 10 pm ET. Celebrating the life and legacy of Adam “MCA” Yauch. From pioneering rapper with the Beastie Boys to social activist for Tibetan Freedom we go back into the MuchMusic vault to tell his story.

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