Beastie Boys founding member John Berry has died at the age of 52.
The guitarist – who was credited by the ‘Sabotage’ hitmakers for coming up with their band name – passed away on Thursday morning (19.05.16) at 7.30am at a hospice in Danvers, Massachusetts.
His father confirmed the tragic news to Rolling Stone magazine and said his son – who was known as John Berry III – suffered from frontal lobe dementia, which had regressed in the last few months of his life.
Berry – who was with the band briefly from when they formed in 1981 to late 1982 – performed on the band’s first EP ‘Polly Wog Stew’, which was released in 1982.
Berry started the hip hop group – which previously went by the name The Young Aborigines – with original members the late Adam Yauch, Kate Schellenbach and Michael ‘Mike D’ Diamond and their first shows were at his loft at a property on West 100th Street on Broadway Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
After Berry left he was replaced by Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz on guitar.
In 2012, Horovitz read a speech, which was written by Yauch – who sadly passed away at the age of 47 from cancer later in the year – at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when they were inducted, which praised Berry for his time in the group.
He said: "To Kate Schellenback to John Berry. To John’s loft on 100th street Broadway where his dad would come busting in during her first practices screaming ‘will you turn that f***ing s**t off already."
The ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’ stars are yet to comment on their former bandmates death.
Ex-Beastie Boys member John Berry dies at 52
