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Video: Beastie Boys' Yauch Has Cancerous Tumor, Tour Canceled
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 20, 2009
Modified Jul 20, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 20, 2009
Modified Jul 20, 2009
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Some heavy news out of the Beastie Boys' camp today: The three emcees and one DJ are canceling their upcoming tour and postponing their new album release because doctors have discovered a cancerous tumor in Adam Yauch's left parotid (salivary) gland. In the video above, Yauch and Adam Horovitz announce the bad news, with Yauch expressing healthy optimism about his recovery, because the cancer is localized and will not affect his vocal chords. He's expected to have surgery next week, to be followed by radiation treatment.
In a statement, Yauch added, "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 Beastie Boys were scheduled to headline the opening night of the second annual All Points West festival in Liberty State Park on July 31st; organizers are presumably scrambling to find another headliner.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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