One of Hip Hop’s most celebrated music video directors passed away earlier this past week.
MTV reports that director and screenwriter Ric Menello died on Friday March 1st. The iconic music video auteur and associate of Def Jam co-founder/producer Rick Rubin passed away of a heart attack at the age of 60.
Menello began his film career co-directing music videos for the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” with Adam Dubin. He would later go on to direct LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali” video, as well as co-write the script for Run-DMC’s feature film Tougher Than Leather.
Most recently, Menello enjoyed critical acclaim with his screenplay for the 2008 film Two Lovers, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. A new screenplay from Menello, titled Lowlife, is currently in production.
AD LOADING...
Menello’s death comes nearly a year after the passing of Beastie Boys emcee Adam “MCA” Yauch. MCA died in May 2012 after a three-year battle with salivary gland cancer.
DX send its condolences to the friends, fans and family of Ric Menello.
RELATED:Beastie Boys Look To Dismiss Lawsuit Over “Paul’s Boutique” Sampling
