Beastie Boys Founder John Berry Dead At 52

John Berry, one of the founding members of pioneering rap group Beastie Boys died Thursday morning in a Danvers, Mass., hospital. He was 52.

His father, John Berry III, told Rolling Stone magazine that his son suffered from frontal lobe dementia, which had grown worse in recent months.

Berry, who attended high school with singer Mike Diamond, was a crucial member in the Beastie Boys’ early days. He was originally part of the Young Aborigines, a hardcore punk band formed in 1978 and would later evolve into the best-selling group.

The guitarist, who helped create the iconic second name for the band, left the hit group in 1982— a few years before the all-white group reached stardom and broke hip hip norms with the hit album “Licensed to Ill.”

Still, Berry was crucial to the band’s success. It was at his old Manhattan loft that the band played their first show, drawing in a small crowd.

He was also featured in the first EP recording “Polly Wog Steve.” He quit shortly after, followed a year later by drummer Kate Schellenbach. Both were replaced by Adam “Ad Rock” Horowitz.

Berry was also a member of bands like Big Fat Love, Bourbon Love and Highway Stars, according to Rolling Stone.

The Beastie Boys went on to become one of the longest performing hip hop groups, releasing eight best-selling albums and winning two Grammy awards.

The band noted Berry and Schellenbach's contributions during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

“To Kate Schellenbach and John Berry. To John Berry's loft on 100th St. and Broadway where John's dad would come in during our first practices screaming ‘will you turn that f--ing s--- off already,’ ” Adam Yauch, known better as MCA, said in his speech.

A few months later, Yauch died from cancer. He was 47.

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