Adam Yauch: Beastie Boy Dead at 47

Adam Yauch, the gruff-voiced rapper, musician and video auteur known as MCA in the groundbreaking hip hop trio The Beastie Boys, has died after a lengthy illness, Billboard has confirmed. He was 47. The band's rep confirmed that Yauch passed away in his native New York City Friday morning after a three-year battle with cancer

Yauch underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland in July 2009. Treatment included radiation therapy, and in December of that year, he sent a email message to fans to share that we was feeling "healthy, strong and hopeful" he'd beaten the disease. The exact cause and place of death wasn't immediately known.

Yauch was a devout Buddhist and supporter of a Free Tibet...