Matthew Benjamin Palazzolo

1984 - 2018

December 18, 1984 - January 10, 2018 Last week on Wednesday, January 10th we lost Matthew Benjamin "Matt" Palazzolo, a young LGBTQ rights activist and actor. Matt passed away of heat stroke while hiking in the Australian Outback, climbing Mount Sonder, a 4,265-foot mountain near Alice Springs in Central Australia. He was 33 years old. Matt was heavily involved in local politics and the "No on Prop 8" movement. He co-founded the Equal Roots Coalition, an LGBTQ rights organization, and most notably organized a protest rally drawing more than 12,000 people opposed to the ban on same-sex marriage. He was a long time board member of Christopher Street West - LA Pride and a member of the West Hollywood's Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board. Matt was also an accomplished filmmaker and actor. Matt has a resume that includes roles in "Bloomers" (2011), "Stone Fruit" (2018) and "Switched at Birth" (2011). He also directed music videos and developed ad series' including an LGBT ad campaign for AT&T. Matt loved Coachella, Burning Man, cruises, and outdoor trips. In the past 3 months, Matt hiked Texas' Big Bend National Park, the Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California, and Australia's 4th highest peak, Mount Sonder - his last hike. Matt was a deeply compassionate, loving, and understanding individual. He had a wonderfully generous spirit, he loved cats and frequently joked that he was a cat in a past life. Matt would oftentimes enter a room by greeting you with a "meow." He is preceded in death by his mother, Hilda Palazzolo, and his grandmother, Adela, and survived by his father, Pat Palazzolo, and his brother, Mike Palazzolo. A celebration of life will be held for Matt in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Celebration of Life Service for Matt in Los Angeles will be held Saturday, February 3rd at 4 PM at West Hollywood Park.