Beastie Boys founding member Adam Yauch died earlier today after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 47.
As a member of the Beastie Boys, Yauch was influential to both the hip-hop and rock/metal communities, and several rockers have taken to Twitter to express their sadness at the loss of the musical pioneer.
"Words can't express the sadness and loss," wrote Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. "Your humor, talent and gentle soul are just irreplacable. Be at peace brother."
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash added, "Sad day. MCA was fucking awesome. RIP man. We'll miss you very much."
Below, we'll be posting other messages as they come in:
"I always felt like Adam was a brother from an east coast mother: bass, hoops and skateboarding. A crazy talent whose contributions with his band were inspirational and consistently ground breaking.Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and his Beastie brothers." — Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam
"Adam Yauch was a guy who brought happiness and energy to so many. That is why the news of his passing is so stifling. Bon Voyage Adam." — Perry Farrell, Jane's Addiction
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"Prayers and all the love I could ever muster for Adam Yauch. What a beautiful man. God bless his beautiful soul. A class act all the way." — Flea
"Lollapalooza '94, talked to Yauch almost everyday. He was full of wisdom and encouragement for a freaked out kid like I was. Thank you MCA." — Billie Joe Armstrong
"Adam Yauch rest in peace.Thankyou for your lyrics and that voice my man.Your music lives on forever!" — G. Love
"RIP Beastie's MCA." — Bumblefoot, Guns N' Roses
"Rest in peace MCA. You are a legend. No sleep 'till Brooklyn." — Lenny Kravitz
"Thank you for 'Sabotage' bass riff and many other great grooves. Adam also worked for justice and peace consciousness." — Krist Novoselic
"The Beastie Boys and MCA were a big source of inspiration to Incubus. Our love and thoughts are with them." — Brandon Boyd, Incubus
"47 is too young. Brutal. Sad." — Vernon Reid
"Shocked and sad to hear about Adam Yauch. Didn't know him...wish I had. Big fan of his. RIP MCA." — Josh Freese
"We're sad to learn about the death of MCA. Our condolences to the Beastie Boys and Adam's family." — Linkin Park
"R.I.P. Adam Yauch. I met him in Chelsea guitars years ago and he was a humble and peaceful man. Thanks for all the great music." — Chris Traynor, Bush
"Sad news about Adam Yauch's passing,a man of dignity + spiritual conviction. I always had great respect for him in times we met and talked." — Billy Corgan
Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.
