Beastie Boys founding member John Berry dies at age 52

John Berry, one of the founding member of the Beastie Boys and the band's original guitarist, has died at age 52.

Berry formed the group with his school friend Michael Diamond in New York in 1978 and played on their first EP Polly Wog Stew.

He is also said to have come up the the name The Beastie Boys.

The musician died in a hospice in Massachusetts at age 52 after suffering from frontal lobe dementia, his father told Rolling Stone magazine.

Berry was a key member of the Beastie Boys in its original roots as a hardcore punk outfit before they gradually switched towards the hip-hop fusion that brought them worldwide fame.

Originally called The Young Aborigines, the band changed its name the Beastie Boys in 1980. The group's original line-up was completed by Adam Yauch and Kate Schellenbach.

Berry left the Beastie Boys shortly after the release of their first EP Polly Wog Stew in 1982, and was later replaced on guitar by Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. Schellenbach also departed and went on to become the drummer for rock band Luscious Jackson.

The remaining trio went on to find fame after their breakthrough single You Gotta Fight (For Your Right) to Party. They released a string of hit albums including Licensed to Ill, Paul's Boutique and Hello Nasty.

Berry's death comes four years after Yauch died in May 2012 from cancer.

A tribute on the Lucious Jackson Facebook page said the band was "heartbroken hearing the news" of Berry's death.

The Beastie Boys also paid tribute to Berry as they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, with Horovitz describing band early practices in Berry's parents' house in new York.

Fans also remembered Berry on Twitter and crediting his contribution to the music world. One wrote: "RIP to John Berry of the Beastie Boys. Those dudes started something bigger than music. Rap, rock and musicianship all in one. A new genre."