John Berry, founding member of the Beastie Boys, dies aged 52
LONDON -- John Berry, founding member of the Beastie Boys and the man credited for coming up with the band's name, has died aged 52.
Berry's death at 7:30 a.m. (local time) Thursday at a hospice in Danvers, Massachusetts was confirmed to Rolling Stone by his father. He told the magazine his son suffered from frontal lobe dementia.
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The Beastie Boys formed in 1981 when Berry joined up with schoolfriend Mike Diamond (Mike D) and two others: Adam Yauch (MCA) and Kate Schellenbach.
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They played a number of gigs across New York, supporting the likes of The Dead Kennedys and The Misfits before recording their debut EP Polly Wog Stew.
The frantic 10 minute release was a raw slice of hardcore punk; the band didn't transition to hip hop until Berry had departed in 1982, followed by Schellenbach, and replaced by Adam Horowitz (Ad-Rock).
The Beastie Boys went on to find fame with their debut album, License To Ill, in 1986 and released several albums before they disbanded in 2012 following Yauch's death from cancer.
Berry went on to perform in a number of bands, including Bourbon Deluxe, Highway Stars, Even Worse and Big Fat Love.
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Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
