LGBTQ Activist From West Hollywood Dies In Australian Outback

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – Matthew Benjamin "Matt" Palazzolo, a young LGBTQ rights activist and actor, died last week. Palazzolo passed away Jan. 10 from heat stroke while hiking in the Australian Outback, climbing Mount Sonder, a 4,265-foot mountain near Alice Springs in Central Australia, Los Angeles Times reported. He was 33 years old.

Palazzolo was involved in local politics, specifically the "No on Prop 8" movement; he also co-founded the LGBTQ rights organization Equal Roots Coalition, and organized a protest rally drawing more than 12,000 opposed to the ban on same-sex marriage, according to LA Times. He was a board member of Christopher Street West - LA Pride and a member of the West Hollywood's Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board; on top of that, he was an accomplished filmmaker and actor, Los Angeles Times reported.

Palazzolo loved music festivals like Coachella, Burning Man, along with 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 final hike, according to LA Times.

Read more at Legacy.com on behalf of Los Angeles Times; Image via Shutterstock