In mid-April 2012, the Beastie Boys announced one-third of the group — gravel-voiced Adam “MCA” Yauch — would be unable to join them at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where they were being honored for their 26-year recording career. On May 4, Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond confirmed fans’ worst fears: Yauch, 47, had succumbed to the salivary gland cancer he’d been battling since 2009.
In the year since Yauch’s death, his impact on the worlds of hip-hop, punk, art, film, and humanitarianism haven’t faded — they’ve come into clearer focus. We asked peers, collaborators, and admirers to reflect on his life and career as we celebrate a true pioneer’s remarkable legacy.
- MCA, RIP: Hear His Beastie Boys Legacy in 15 Tracks
- Beastie Boys in Photos: 25 Years of Mad Genius
- Generation Yauch
- The Story of Yo: The Oral History of the Beastie Boys
- Vintage Ricky Powell Photos From the ‘Paul’s Boutique’ Sessions
As told to Charles Aaron, Caryn Ganz, David Marchese, and Jordan Sargent