John Berry, a founding member of the Beastie Boys, who gave the group its name, died on Thursday morning in hospice care in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was 52.

Berry's father, John Berry III, confirmed the death and said that his son had been suffering from frontal lobe dementia and his condition had deteriorated in the months leading up to his death.

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Berry played as a guitarist in the group since its formation in 1981 and the band comprised of Mike Diamond, Adam Yauch and Kate Schellenbach at the time. The group's first few shows took place at Berry's old loft in Manhattan, where small crowds turned up to watch the rap rock band perform.

Shortly after appearing in Beastie Boys' debut album Polly Wog Stew in 1982 Berry left the group, followed by Schellenbach, paving the way for Adam Horowitz (Ad-Rock), who came on board to replace both band members.

Berry went on to perform with several other bands including Even Worse, Big Fat Love, Highway Stars and Bourbon Deluxe.

During the Beastie Boys' Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2012, Yauch thanked Berry for his contribution to the band in a letter read out by Horowitz. Yauch succumbed to cancer later that year at the age of 47.

In the letter, Yauch recalled the time the group used to practice and perform at Berry's loft, "where John's dad would come busting in during our first performances screaming, 'Will you turn that fucking shit off already?!'"

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