A solemn hush fell over the musical community yesterday, as Beastie Boys Adam Yauch, or Mca as he was known in the group, finally fell victim to his cancer, passing away peacefully on Friday (May 4th). He had been battling cancer since 2009, after a tumour was discovered in his salivary gland, but sadly lost he the battle yesterday afternoon in his native New York.

Yauch co-founded the group along with fellow mainstays Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) back in 1979 as a hardcore punk band, eventually experimenting with the hip-hop sound that has found them fame right up to today. Their time together has seen them sell millions of records worldwide, releasing such classics as Licence To Ill, Ill Communication and two of the most lauded rap albums of all time; Paul's Boutique and Check Your Head. Yauch was also involved in a number of other projects outside of the group, founding the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits as well as the film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, which produced such notable films as the Banksy documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop and the upcoming LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up And Play The Hits.

Tributes have been flooding in since the news broke, with fans flooding social media sites with goodwill messages for the man's family and friends. Through his music and other causes he was involved with, such as his ardent support of the Free Tibet movement, he touched the lives of millions and his legacy will surely live on for many years to come.