(CNN) – Adam Yauch, a rapper for the Beastie Boys, has died at 47, according to a TMZ.com report.
Yauch, whose stage name was MCA, has undergone surgery and radiation therapy for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node since announcing his diagnosis in 2009.
The group was unable to perform on the night they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14 of this year because Yauch could not be with them.
MCA co-founded the Beastie Boys in 1979 with co-members Mike D, Mix Master Mike, and Ad Roc.
The group is one of the longest-performing acts in the industry, still performing 25 years after they hit the hip-hp scene as a novelty: four white rappers from Manhattan in genre dominated by urban minorities.
At the time of his diagnosis, the band was forced to delay the release of their album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1, and to put off touring.
“It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later,” Yauch said in a statement at the time.
He is survived by his wife and daughter.
