Adam Yauch (MCA): 1964-2012

Beastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, has died following a lengthy battle with throat cancer.

Yauch, along with Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz, formed the Beastie Boys in 1979 when he was still in high school.

The trio, originally a hardcore punk band, performed their first live show on Yauch's 17th birthday.

The group broke into the mainstream with the release of its first hip hop album, Licensed to Ill, in 1986 and the hit single (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party).

The record went on to sell more than 9 million copies.

The Beastie Boys released seven additional studio recording between 1989 and 2011, including three No. 1 U.S. chart toppers, Ill Communication (1994), Hello Nasty (1998), and To The 5 Boroughs (2004).

By 2010, Beastie Boys record sales had exceeded 40 million copies in total.

Under the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed a number of Beastie Boys music videos as well as the band's 2006 live concert movie Awesome; I F*ckin' Shot That!

The Beastie Boys went on to win three Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, and one MTV Europe Music Award.

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, although Yauch's poor health prevented him from attending the ceremony.

Yauch was 47 years old and leaves behind his wife, Dechen Wangdu, and their daughter, Tenzin Losel Yauch.