John Berry (May 31, 1963 – May 19, 2016) was an American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

musician. He was a founding member of the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

, although he left the band in 1982 before they secured any commercial success. Berry is credited with conceiving the band's name, Beastie Boys, when the members were teenagers.

Biography

Berry was born in

Newburyport Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, Massachusetts, on May 31, 1963. After moving to New York City in his teens with his father, Berry attended the Walden School in Manhattan. It was at the Walden School where he met Michael Diamond and the two were founding members of

the Young Aborigines Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming). ...

, later known as the

. The two other founding members are

Adam Yauch Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( ; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), better known under the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bass player, filmmaker and a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys. Besides his musical work, he also directed ...

and

Kate Schellenbach Kate Schellenbach (born January 5, 1966) is an American musician and television producer. She is the drummer of Luscious Jackson and was a founding drummer of the Beastie Boys. Born in New York City, she played with the Beastie Boys from 1981 to ...

. The Beastie Boys were initially a hardcore punk band. Formed at a time where the New York punk scene was witnessing a shift, and Berry was an important part of that transition. Berry played guitar on the band's first release, a seven-inch EP, ''Polly Wog Stew''. He was the first to leave the band, later followed by Schellenbach. Their first shows were at Berry’s loft on West 100th Street and Broadway on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

. He died May 19, 2016, at a hospice in

Danvers, Massachusetts Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts. The suburb is a fairly short ride from Boston and is also in close proximity to the renowned beaches of Glo ...

, of

frontotemporal dementia Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or frontotemporal degeneration disease, or frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder, encompasses several types of dementia involving the progressive degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes. FTDs broadly present as ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, John 1963 births American punk rock musicians Beastie Boys members People from the Upper West Side Singers from New York City 2016 deaths Guitarists from New York City Walden School (New York City) alumni Deaths from dementia in Massachusetts Deaths from frontotemporal dementia