Although his death was a tragic accident, Matty squeezed all he could out of life. He did not stay between the lines of anything that mattered to him, and his desire to be of service to others was his guiding principle. And he loved to dance. He didn't care where, when, with whom, or whether or not you thought he could, Matt just broke it down.
The first born of three brothers, the world knew Matty was special early on. Without a tooth in his mouth, he was giving his mom directions from his car seat shortly after his first birthday. His Nana Roz saw his indefatigable work ethic as he scrubbed her kitchen floors, a toddler with sweat dripping off his brow. Just as he did throughout his life, he helped without even being asked. With a benevolent hand, he reigned over the Boys Academy playground in Albany, New York, until moving to Boca Raton.
It was down there where Matty's interest with fashion and the music scene flourished. With his frosted tips, hard-earned gold chain and emerald green Saturn (from his tireless work as a Sandwich Artist at Subway), Matty blasted Master P, Cash Money Millionaires, and deep cuts from emerging techno DJs. While an affinity for the Backstreet Boys also entered his mixtape, his commitment to Southern rap was evident. After keeping GNC financially afloat with his weekly contributions, Matt's outer strength began to match his mental acuity. His near perfect score on the SATs and flawless GPA would next send him to Duke University.
In Durham, North Carolina, Matty began to approach the party life of a college student with the same ferocity with which he pushed his cognitive abilities. Through these experiences he became interested in law and decided to trade one bar for another. As is the case with Matty, one degree was not enough to quench his thirst for knowledge. He graduated, laden with awards, from the University of Miami with a Juris Doctorate and MBA, then went off to Atlanta to make his mark.
Matty litigated in a way that earned him the nickname, "The Cobra." He accrued a tenacious reputation in the legal world as a lawyer to be reckoned with, and he protected the friends and family he loved in the same way. As his professional presence grew, so did his social life. His fast cars and flair could rival that of Mötley Crüe. This lead Matty to become a solo artist, opening his own firm, Simmons Litigation Law.
Matty is survived by his mother, Barbara, his father, Mark, his brothers, Tommy and his wife Brooke, Petey and his wife Sera, their son, who will carry Matty's monogram, Mason James, and all his friends who love him.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Matty's name to the Equal Justice Initiative.
