David Alonso Rodriguez

David Alonso Rodriguez, 27, of Portland, Oregon, died tragically by suicide on December 26, 2020. In the days leading up to his death, friends and family that reached out, reported him to be tired and distant. At around 12:15am David threw himself from the roof of his 16 story apartment building.

Born and raised in Hood River, David’s passion for acting began at a young age. When he attended Hood River Valley High, he took to the stage and was heavily influenced by his phenomenal theater teacher, Rachel Harry. He was featured in productions of Le mis, Is he dead, Peggy the pint sized pirate, Guys and dolls, the seagull and words, words, words, along with his participation in Phoenix theatre.

His passion and talent compelled him to switch his journalism major at the University of Oregon, to attaining his B.A. in Theatre. He worked both with the theatres on campus and Duck TV and was featured in the performances of, Sila, Arcadia, and Breaking the Code. As a playwright, David wrote an award winning bilingual play, Sonrisa del Coyote, which was featured by the Pocket Playhouse.

David spent a summer working in Alaska with Training Better Artist in 2017, which had a lasting effect on him.

A few years after graduating, he set his sights on the Rogue Valley, where he took part in the community theater both behind and in front of the curtain. His feature performances were Evil Dead: the musical, Pippin, Silent Sky and Billy Elliot.

Feeling emboldened by his experiences in life, David had moved to Portland to seek out new opportunities in both his work and acting career.

He enjoyed Miyazaki movies, hosting livestreams on Twitch, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and being a light in everyone’s life. David’s booming voice and charismatic personality coupled with his warm heart and unending devotion to others made a lasting impression on all who knew him.

He is survived by his parents, Melinda and Dimas Rodriguez of Hood River; brother Javier Rodriguez, of Burbank, California; and sister Jenny Rodriguez, niece Aven Parrish, and nephew Lucien Kavan, all of Eugene, Oregon.

David’s death has hurt deeply. His battle with mental illness is a very real reminder that even the brightest lights can hold heavy darkness. Learn from his story. Don’t listen to the illness. Fight to stay. We want you here.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorial donations be made to suicide prevention organizations or to the memorial fund that has been created to celebrate David’s bright light: David Alonso Rodriguez, https://gofund.me/86238979.