One of the original band members of the Beastie Boys, John Berry, has passed away at the age of 52. 

Berry died on Thursday morning in Massachusettes, following a battle with frontal lobe dementia. His father John Berry III, confirmed his son's death to Rolling Stone.

His death comes four years after fellow band member Adam Yauch passed away at the age of 47, shortly after the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

John Berry is recognised as the member who came up with the name of the famous hip-hop band which originally formed in the summer of 1981. The remainder of the group consisted of Mike Diamond and Kate Schellenbach.

Their first performances are said to have taken place in Berry's old loft in Manhattan, where a small crowd gathered to hear their distinctive punk sound.

Berry played on the Beastie Boys' first seven-inch EP 'Polly Wog Stew,' which was recorded in November 1982. He left the group shortly after, followed by Schellenbach in 1983. Adam Horovitz replaced both members.