The Beastie Boys this morning announced that Adam Yauch, aka MCA, has been diagnosed with cancer, forcing the band to cancel its planned summer concerts and push back the release of its new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part I.
Yauch, 44, was diagnosed last week with a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland, according to the pioneering hip-hop trio’s publicity company, Nasty Little Man. The tumor was caught early and “is considered very treatable,” but will require surgery and weeks of treatment. Fortunately, the band’s handlers note, the cancer will not affect MCA’s vocal chords.
Nasty Little Man issued the following statement from Yauch, taken from the video posted on BeastieBoys.com (and shown above):
“I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we’ll release the record and play some shows. It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because i was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later.”
The group had been slated to appear at multitude of summer festivals, including headlining slots at All Points West, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and the Austin City Limits Festival. Additionally, the trio’s new record was due out Sept. 15, and while the band says it’s delayed, no new release date has been announced.
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