A Musician's Legacy
- Music group the “Beastie Boys” marks the 30th anniversary of their “Sabotage” single that earned them a video music award. Founding group member Adam “MCA” Yauch was vital to the group’s success; however, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away after a three-year battle with the disease.
- Yauch was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer. It’s a rare head and neck cancer that forms in the tissues of the salivary glands. Symptoms include a lump or trouble swallowing, the National Institutes of Health says.
- Yauch’s bandmates struggled with grief after his passing. The grieving process comes in stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling, and these stages can occur in any order.
- New York-based clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says it may be helpful to remind yourself that these feelings are “meaningful yet temporary.” If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventual acceptance, you will come away from this period with a renewed sense of resilience and purpose.
It’s been 30 years since hip-hop music group the Beastie Boys released its hit single “Sabotage.” The song’s music video earned them an award for its parody of a 1970s cop show. On its anniversary, the group reflects on Adam “MCA” Yauch, their vocalist and bassist, passing from cancer in 2012.
The Beastie Boys emerged in the 1980s, breaking the mold in the music industry as white rappers. The award-winning group
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The group continued focusing on their music in the meantime when possible. However, his cancer returned. According to NBC News, the Beastie Boys shared on its website at the time, “…Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys…passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer.”
Yauch’s bandmates struggled to cope with his death.
“It took a while. Yauch dying was so tragic, on so many levels, that it took a profound period of grieving to then be able to start figuring out what I wanted to do,” Beastie Boys drummer and vocalist Mike Diamond previously told Vulture during an interview.
🎶Beastie Boys released their song ‘Sabotage’ 30 years ago, January 28, 1994 pic.twitter.com/9mYxIVuQcE
— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) January 29, 2024
Now, more than a decade after his passing, the Beastie Boys and Yauch’s contribution to the trailblazing group transcends time. Fans of the group praised the memorable music video.
“Iconic video,” X user Tony McCabe wrote in a comment.
Helping You Through Grief and Cancer
How to Cope After Losing a Loved One to Cancer
Grief is defined as the devastation that occurs when we lose someone. Grieving comes in five stages, commonly referred to as the “five stages of grief.”
The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. These stages can occur in any order.
As you find yourself experiencing some of these stages, remember that the emotions you are feeling are meaningful but also temporary. If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventual acceptance, you will come away from this period with a renewed sense of resilience and purpose.
WATCH: Managing the stages of grief.
“Grief comes in waves,” says Dr. Scott Irwin, a psychiatrist and Director of Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
“They’re grieving the change in their life; the future they had imagined is now different.”
Some days can be more challenging than others, but Dr. Irwin says talk therapy can be helpful. It’s important to reach out to your doctor, a therapist, or support groups in your community for the help you need.
New York-based clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says it may be helpful to remind yourself that these feelings are “meaningful yet temporary.”
“If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventually acceptance, you will come away from this period in your life more connected to your resilience and strength,” she wrote for SurvivorNet.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.