The Brooklyn-born musician known to fans as MCA was first treated for cancerous growths in his parotid gland and a lymph node in 2009 and subsequently underwent surgery and radiation therapy, which forced the delay of the Beastie Boys’ most recent album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. His illness has also kept the group off the road, and Yauch missed the group’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two weeks ago.
When Ad-Rock and Mike D accepted the Beastie Boys’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two weeks ago, they read a letter from Yauch thanking both his bandmates and the group’s fans: “I’d like to dedicate this to my brothers Adam and Mike,” he wrote. “They walked the globe with me. It’s also for anyone who has ever been touched by our band. This induction is as much ours as it is yours.”
Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen Wengdu, and their daughter Losel.
http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/05/04/adam-yauch-beastie-boys-dead/
At least he went to rest with the Lord knowing that his band had been inducted into the RRHOF. That being said, he was an excellent lyricist and composer.