Beastie Boys’ MCA Tragic Death: Rapper’s Cause of Death Resurfaces After 10 Years

Beastie Boys' co-founder and member MCA died a decade ago, but his memories still linger after all those years.

Fans marked the full decade since they lost MCA, whose real name is Adam Yauch, after his tragic death in 2012. He was only 47 when his blooming career in the hip-hop and music industry was cut short.

Despite that heartbreaking moment, fans continue to keep him in their prayers that they recently took their time to celebrate his life and legacy.

On social media sites, people took their time to talk about the rapper again. MCA's cause of death also resurfaced, reminding fans about his bravery in the last years of his life.

One said, "Adam Yauch died 10 years ago today, He was many things: a pioneering hip hop artist, a filmmaker, a fierce advocate for Tibet, and one of the most important voices of his generation. Gone too soon. #RIPMCA."

What Happened to MCA?

The Beastie Boys' publicist first confirmed the news in May 2012, saying that MCA died at the age of 47. The same statement revealed that Adam Yauch's cause of death was due to cancer he had been battling for nearly three years.

MCA disclosed in 2009 that his doctor spotted a cancerous tumor in his salivary gland. This caused the rap band to cancel their scheduled appearances and delay the release of one of their albums.

"I started feeling this little lump in my throat, like you would feel if you have swollen glands or something like that, like you'd feel if you have a cold, so I didn't really think it was anything," he said.

The rapper underwent surgery to treat the tumor that year and underwent radiation therapy as he believed it was only early-stage cancer. It spread from his parotid gland to a lymph node, but MCA thought to be cured.

However, at that time, a professor of otolaryngology, hematology, and oncology at Atlanta's Emory University, Dr. Dong Moon Shin, told WebMD that it was impossible to predict his survival and outcome. He explained that the rapper's salivary cancer depended on the size and grade of the original tumor and whether it spread to other parts of his body.

MCA never publicized further details about his cancer diagnosis until his death.

Tags

Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch