Last year's death of Beastie Boys rapper Adam 'MCA' Yauch wasn't a complete surprise -- word of his cancer diagnosis and declining health had been circulating for awhile -- but the news nevertheless came as a shock. The pioneering MC's passing on May 4 at the age of 47 still weighs heavy on fans' minds, and it's been voted the Most Shocking Headline in the 2012 Diffuser.fm Music Awards.

It wasn't exactly surprising -- word of Adam "MCA" Yauch's cancer diagnosis and declining health had been circulating for awhile -- but when the news finally broke on May 4 that the founding member of the Beastie Boys had died at the age of 47, there was little room at first to feel anything other than shock. Yauch had been in treatment for cancer since 2009, after the discovery of a tum

The Beastie Boys want the lawsuit laid at their doorstep by Trouble Funk dropped. The go-go band claims that the group illegally utilized samples from their music on 'Licensed to Ill' and 'Paul's Boutique,' which were the Beasties' first two records. The Beasties, on the other hand, think Trouble Funk are full of it and grasping at straws.

When the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in March, the drummer from the Roots, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, put together a mix tape of his favorite Beastie Boys moments to be used during the ceremony. With the birthday of the late Adam Yauch last week, ?uestlove decided it would be a good time to let the public hear it.

That didn't take long. Yesterday (Aug. 9), late Beastie Boys rapper Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch's last will and testiment was publicly revealed to contain a clause banning his music being used in any advertisements, and now E! reports that Mike D, Ad-Rock and the estate of the late Yauch sued Monster Energy Corp. on Tuesday for copyright infringement.

The advertising industry is known for using music to its advantage, but Adam 'MCA' Yauch has prohibited the use of his creative material in such a way. The will of the Beastie Boys member – who passed away on May 4 of cancer – was filed earlier this week (on Aug. 7) in the Manhattan Surrogate Court, and it conveys his firm wishes on the matter.

New Yorkers continue to remember Adam 'MCA' Yauch of the Beastie Boys, who passed away of cancer in May. To celebrate what would have been Yauch's 48th birthday this weekend, fans have organized an MCA party and walking tour throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Beastie Boys are still in mourning over the recent loss of beloved member Adam Yauch. However, according to producer Mario Caldato Jr. (also known as "Mario C"), the band has a rare collection of songs yet to be shared with the world.

Ever since the death of his close friend and bandmate Adam 'MCA' Yauch last month, Beastie Boys member Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horovitz has kept a low profile. Horovitz will make his first public appearance since the tragic loss tonight (June 12) at a concert in Brooklyn, N.Y. to benefit the imprisoned members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot.

If you were a little stunned by the news of Adam Yauch's death on May 4, you weren't alone -- as Yauch's longtime Beastie Boys bandmate Mike Diamond puts it in an interview published in Rolling Stone, "He had us fooled in the most beautiful way ... I believed, up to last week, that Adam was somehow coming back."