On Friday, May 3, the city of New York honored Beastie Boys member and activist Adam "MCA" Yauch’s legacy by renaming Palmetto Playground on State Street in Brooklyn Heights the Adam Yauch Playground.
"Our entire city wants to offer our love and respect till the end," said Council member Stephen Levin, paraphrasing a Beastie Boys lyric in his speech.
It was at the Brooklyn Heights playground that Yauch learned to ride a bike and played basketball, as a child, his mother recalled during her own statement at the dedication. His parents Frances and Noel Yauch still reside nearby, in the same home where the early Beastie Boys rehearsals used to "shake the ceilings."
Yauch and friends Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz originally formed the Beastie Boys as a hardcore punk band on Yauch's 17th birthday. They went on to sell over 40 million records including four #1 albums, one of which was their 1986 debut "Licensed to Ill" which was also the first hip hop album to top the Billboard 200.
Yauch passed away on May 4, 2012 after battling cancer of the salivary gland since 2009. He is survived by his wife Dechen, daughter Tenzin Losel and his parents.
Fellow Beastie Boy Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz was emotional as he described the kindness of his friend and the appropriateness of a park dedication in Yauch's honor. [video above]
The Adam Yauch Playground unveiling arrives one day before “MCA Day,” a free event at Gowanus venue Littlefield to be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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