Atilla Rodriguez

Atilla, “P.o.e.m.”, Rodriguez, 49, died unexpectedly on Thursday, April 15, 2021 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Atilla was born in Queens, New York to Dyalelah Rodriguez and John Rodriguez.  He was raised in Brooklyn, New York and he has resided in Elizabeth, New Jersey for the past four years.   

Atilla was a strong black man full of light and spirit.  He was a deep thinker and a limitless creator.  He was a good friend to all that knew him, and a robin hood of giving and caring.  Atilla was man of many talents and abilities.

He was a producer, a musician, a poet with more than 500 poems, a writer, a production engineer, and a most loving father to his inseparable daughter, Imani.

Atilla was always so caring that he once took off his shoes on a bus during the cold to give to a homeless mother, while he then walked home barefoot. His giving is an example of his self-righteousness.  It made him happy that he could help someone else because Atilla knew what if felt like not to have.  He was like a tree that branched out to all that was in need.  For many Atilla was like a father or a brother mentoring them for achieving a better purpose.  He brought kids toys so he could see them smile, and If you needed him, he came.  During the pandemic, Atilla bought a truck of meat to give out to churches, and families that were in need never wanting back.  All because it was the “right thing to do.”  Atilla was giving and forgiving.  He was a star with a vibration so strong that you could not notice him. His energy was infectious. If Atilla walked into a room, he brought life into it, and was ready to be your friend.  But he mostly shines when there is music, sound, and friends.

Atilla had a lot of passion and gave 100% in everything he did.  A soul of truth, a man of honesty, and a genuine spirit who cared for others wholeheartedly.  Atilla was righteous in mind and actions and in his transformation in life from hardship to searching for peace.  He lived to learn and to teach.  Memories he created to all that knew him cannot be erased.  Atilla will always be in our hearts forever.

Atilla is survived by his longtime partner Shirley and their daughter Imani and his three sisters, Shandyka Strivelli, Elisa Rodriguez and Millie Sizelove.

A visitation and funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 6^th. in the Kowalski Funeral Home, 515 Roselle Street in Linden, New Jersey, from 10:00am to 12:00pm.  The prayers of committal will precede Atilla’s entombment in the family crypt in Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, New Jersey.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.