This one hurts to report. Adam Yauch, better known as MCA and a co-founder of groundbreaking New York hip-hop group The Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 48. In 2009, MCA announced he was being treated for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node. Since then he underwent surgery and radiation therapy. Yauch didn’t appear when his group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, and his health had reportedly delayed the trio’s upcoming Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2. Yauch was active in the movement to free Tibet and co-organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts of the late ’90s. The Beastie Boys’ most recent music video was released last year for the song “Make Some Noise.” The two surviving members of the band — Mike D and Ad Rock — haven’t released a statement as of yet.
Said Moby via Twitter upon learning of Yauch’s passing: “I’m very very sad to hear of adam yauch’s passing. He was a wonderful, generous, remarkable, and inspiring man and friend.”