Hip-hop pioneer Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys dies at 47
Musicians Adam Horovitz, Mike Diamond and Adam Yauch of the Beasty Boys speak onstage while receiving the Webby Artist of the Year at the 11th Annual Webby Awards at Chipriani Wall Street on June 5, 2007 in New York City.
Copyright Getty Images
Posted: 05/04/2012
NEW YORK (AP) - Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons says Adam Yauch, the gravelly voiced Beastie Boys rapper who co-founded the seminal hip-hop group, has died at age 47.
MORE: Photos from Adam Yauch's career
Calls and emails to representatives for the Beastie Boys were not immediately returned. Simmons' Def Jam label released the Beastie Boys' first album, "Licensed to Ill."
The cause and place of death wasn't immediately known. Yauch, who is also known as MCA, was diagnosed with a cancerous parotid gland in 2009. He had undergone surgery and radiation.
At the time, Yauch expressed hope it was "very treatable," but his illness caused the group to cancel shows and delayed the release of its 2011 album, "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2."
He hadn't performed in public since 2009 and was absent when the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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