Beastie Boys have released an official statement on the passing of Adam “MCA” Yauch:
Adam Yauch | 1964-2012
It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam “MCA” Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys.
With fellow members Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band’s 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill–win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.
In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces. In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985′s Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities.
In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds disbursed to the New York Women’s Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans–each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources.
Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including “So Whatcha Want,” “Intergalactic,” “Body Movin” and “Ch-Check It Out.” Under his own name, Yauch directed last year’s Fight For Your Right Revisited, an extended video for “Make Some Noise” from Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future.
Yauch’s passion and talent for filmmaking led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy, Oren Moverman’s The Messenger, Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop, Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze’s Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak, and many more.
Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch.
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Class act, he will be greatly missed.
Great statement. Thank you Beastie Boys. Will miss you MCA.
Rest in peace, man ;(
:(
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While not knowing who he is, is totally fine, asking on this news article makes you a dick.
wow,you’re a fucking idiot. Respect your music history dumbass!!
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dude you have no soul,all I gotta say is karma is a bitch.
Not an insult. We would expect nothing less from such a completely crass, vile thing like you.
rubberjohnny0829: So that’s the problem. You don’t eat it, baby. You suck on it. Come by and I’ll teach you how to do it if you’re man enough.
Apparently you never taught any respect. If you have to ask who, then it’s wise to just not ask. I suppose it never occurred to you to find out who before showing how little class you have in this comments section. How about showing some respect in the future. (After seeing your responses to the others, I’m sure your response to me will show even more how much class you lack.)
Please don’t feed the emo trolls.
You feed the troll. Great job folks!
Adam Yauch was in the Beastly Boyz.
Ya know, the best part about you’re crass attempt at “coolness” is that Odd Future, your “heroes”, wouldn’t exist without the Beastie Boys. Odd Future haven’t done SHIT that the Beastie Boys didn’t do first. You may have noticed that members of Odd Future commented on Yauch’s passing. You know who would comment on YOUR passing? No one.
I’m so distraught by my spelling of the word “your”. Grrrrrr.
@rubberjohnny0829 Ugh. Just…no.
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I am so in love with that comment. I don’t know why.
R.I.P. MCA!! WE LOVE YOU!!
:(
I’m not into rap, but I did enjoy the Beastie Boys video to You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party when it came out years ago. Sounds like he did a lot of good with his talent and was a class act.
R.I.P., MCA.
So much love to family and to the band. So much music I’ve been compelled to play since the news hit me. I’ll be listening to MCA’s music all my life. Thanks, man – and keep it going wherever you roam.
So many great memories listening to Beastie Boys. Class act is right. Thank you.
Just look @ his picture… (rubberjohnny0829) kid is a tool… your mom should of wore a rubber johnny on 8/29… THE B Boys are iconic… something a little cock smoker like yourself knows nothing about… so go back listening to your Jonas brothers crap and let MCA R.I.P…. Eyeliner? Really? Real original…
I wish people would stop responding to him like he actually is who he appears to be on here. I think it’s pretty clear from his posts that what we are getting is a carefully crafted internet persona.
A fucking EMO talking bout the Beasties. Go back to Tokio Brothel, cunt
Wow! This is the most irrelevant spam I’ve seen on Stereogum! Normally you’d at least try to relate back to the article but NOPE! BICYCLES!!!!!!
RIP from Ireland
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I think this might be worse this rubberjohnny
But it’s his first-ever music video! It’s really important…and he’s just a high-schooler. Just tell him how great he is and how you wish you were his big brother.
MCA will be missed. Beastie Boys, as a fan, please don’t make any more music without him or replace him.