A member of the famed hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch, has passed away, Rolling Stone reports. He was 47.

Continue reading

Yauch, also known as MCA, had been undergoing cancer treatment since 2009.

He co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike Diamond and Adam Horowitz in 1979.

Calls and emails to representatives for the Beastie Boys were not immediately returned.

Russell Simmons' Def Jam label released the Beastie Boys' first album, "Licensed to Ill." The cause of death wasn't immediately known.

Yauch was diagnosed with a cancerous parotid gland in 2009. He had undergone surgery and radiation.

At the time, Yauch expressed hope it was "very treatable," but his illness caused the group to cancel shows and delayed the release of their 2011 album, "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2."

He hadn't preformed in public since 2009 and was absent when the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.