Beastie Boy Adam Yauch dead at 47

Photo: Contributed - AP

Musician Adam Yauch attends a special exhibition at the United Nations on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 in New York

One of the three New York City rappers who founded the seminal rap group Beastie Boys is reported dead at the age of 47.

Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, had been undergoing treatment for cancer since 2009 when tumours were found in a salivary gland and lymph node.

His illness kept him away from the Beastie Boys' recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

After originating the Beasties Boys with bandmates Mike Diamond and Adam Horowtiz as a teenager in 1979, the group went from its punk roots to releasing some of the biggest albums in hip hop.

Their 1986 debut 'License To Ill' which featured such hits as "Fight For Your Right to Party" was largely dismissed as the product of white, middle-class hip hop wannabes.

That attitude changed with the release of their follow-up "Paul's Boutique," however, which enjoyed wider critical acclaim.

A Brooklyn native, Yauch launched his own New York City recording studio and film production company in 2002. Since then he had a number of directing credits including the 2006 Beastie Boys' concert film.

A practising Buddhist, Yauch had also been involved in the movement to free Tibet. He is survived by his wife Dechen Wangdu and their daughter Tenzin Losel Yauch.

His death was first reported on hip hop impresario Russell Simmons' website Globalgrind.com.

File: CTV