Original Beastie Boys Member John Berry Passes Away at Age 52
Image courtesy of Louise Parker Berry
One of the original members of the Beastie Boys, John Berry, passed away this morning in Massachusetts after suffering from frontal lobe dementia, Rolling Stone reports.
Credited with coming up with the group’s name, Berry joined Mike Diamond, Adam Yauch, and Kate Schellenbach as the founding members of the early punk incarnation of the Beastie Boys in 1981.
Berry and Diamond left shortly after the recording of the group’s first EP, Polly Wog Stew, and were replaced by Adam Horowitz (Ad-Rock) as the band took on the hip-hop leaning identity that they became famous for. While he missed out on the group’s defining years, the Beastie Boys were always sure to credit him as an important part of the group’s history, shouting him out at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2002.
Back cover artwork from the ‘Polly Wog Stew’ EP
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