NYC playground renamed after Beastie Boy "MCA"

NEW YORK> A New York City playground where the late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch learned to ride a bike as a child has been renamed in his honor.

City officials on Friday rechristened Brooklyn's Palmetto Playground as Adam Yauch Park. Yauch's parents and fellow Beastie Boy Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz attended the renaming ceremony.

The rapper known as "MCA" died last May at the age of 47 after a nearly three-year battle with cancer. The gravelly-voiced Yauch helped make the Beastie Boys one of the seminal groups in hip-hop.

The playground includes full and half basketball courts, a community garden, a greenhouse, a small fitness area, an open play space, drinking fountains, and a dog run.