A TRIBUTE TO MY CLOSE FRIEND RODNEY MICHAEL HARVEY 

This special tribute is for you Rodney. 
As childhood friends growing up and playing on the streets of South Philly we had many great friends by our side like Johnny Costa, Marc Grimes, Omaday and all of our other friends we grew up with on the streets playing games like Jailbreak, Half Ball, Duck Duck Goose & Bottle Caps.
We grew up and later we both ended up in Hollywood together where we found ourselves living in a whole new world. We learned those Hollywood streets just like we knew the streets in South Philly & once we did we showed any doubters just how us South Philly boys play hard ball...never fearing the unknown, never taking any bullshit from anyone or accepting the word "no" for an answer as we fought to make our dreams a reality. 
You were 2 years older than I was and just like in our childhood, in Hollywood you showed me which ropes to climb & which ones to cut. You taught me how to survive in Hollywood and you protected me from anyone in the industry you knew wasn't good for me.

You taught me to be tougher, more focused, more career driven, & fearless and you always reminded me that if one Director or Producer says "you're not a good fit for this part" I should end the meeting with a "no...you're not a good fit for me because you're not smart enough to hire me." 

When I would rattle off to you how I was going to just show up at an audition and say "this & that" and act like "this & that" you would always laugh & stop my racing mind by saying in your calm, soft spoken voice "Aight. Now breathe Richie and ditch all that shit. You ain't sayin or doin any of that because I want you to just walk in that room with the cameras up and be you & say I'm Richie Rosati & if you don't cast me in this project somebody else will." You told me..."Don't be who you think they want you to be.  Just be you & they will love you." 

I always took your advice & got the job! This advice you gave me was one you also practiced and not just preached because you were genuine...real...smart & never a fake.

There was that time you & I were both back in Philly visiting home & we both secretly made a pact with each other that we never told anyone about. Not even our families. Our pact was that we would always pick up for each other if anyone in our presence was to ever talk shit about us. We agreed that when the frightening day ever arrived where one of us was to pass away before the other, we would always remind the world that we existed, what we achieved, how we struggled to get it & how we both worked our asses off to achieve our goals. 

Both of us ending up in Hollywood together was not some overnight idea we just had like "let's just pack up & move to LA". It was a plan as prior to that we worked in Philly & NYC & went on hundreds of auditions before we finally both made the right connections & got to know the major players in LA like Paul & Alan who helped us get to that next level.

These days it's difficult for me without you here to talk to, bounce ideas off of, vent to about someone in the industry, or just plain sit in your company for hours quietly calming each others racing minds. You were the only one who really "got me" out there & understood me as you said I got and understood you. 

I will forever live up to our secret pack we made while I'm still here on this Earth & ALWAYS remind the world who you really were here. You aren't the guy from South Philly that "could have been". You are the guy from South Philly who WAS! Who MADE  it! 
When someone uses the "could have been" term it disgusts me since they don't see that from the MANY successful films & tv shows you did to modeling for the biggest & best photographers in the world like Bruce Weber and others...and appearing in so many mainstream magazines internationally, you my friend did not "almost make it"..YOU MADE IT!

You were smart, funny, extremely artistic, always soft spoken and calm & you came from a family who all loved you, still loves you, and have such beautiful hearts. When I was in their company they always treated me like a son. I miss you Lois. Your Mom Lois treated me like family.

As I always supported everything you did you also always supported me. You were never selfish, hateful, mean, too busy, conceited, or a backstabber. You were the complete opposite of all those things.

I want our hometown South Philly and the entire world to truly know who you were on the inside & know what an incredible friend & human being you were. I want the entire universe to remember you this way & not dwell on the end days that came from the overwhelming shit this industry can put anyone thru if we are not careful. 
As you always told me, "Don't let Hollywood consume you Richie. It will kill you if you let it."

I will make sure the world remembers you the right way Rodney...as the very talented man with a huge, kind heart who made his dreams a reality.

I will never let the world forget you or talk bad about you in any way. Especially those who didn't even know you & just read a story or 2 & decided to commit that story to memory & leave out the facts and your major achievements.

I ask people to please don't ever hurt my friend or hurt his reputation by discrediting him that way. Know the facts. Know his life. Know what he actually accomplished. 
Rodney achieved major international industry status on his own without a celebrity family making it easy for him to land big roles. He reached his goals before actors even had access to social media to help them with PR which was non-existent back then. Hollywood got to know Rodney by seeing his talent in person & he shined so bright in real life and on film that you'd be completely stupid to be a Director or Producer and not hire him.

Rodney...I know our friends in South Philly will all agree that you were the most charismatic spirit who made his mark on that big screen on your own merits and you showed people that dreams really do come true if you are willing to work hard for it and want it bad enough.

Your true closest friends like me will always know the real you & will always make sure to keep your name & accomplishments alive & positively talked about!

When Rodney & I lived in LA he always talked highly about our South Philly friends back home. While in LA he & I both missed our families & you friends but many of you came out to visit. The people we were around in Hollywood then had different upbringings and weren't like us...or like you all. They weren't family like you all were to us back home. Having each other in Hollywood made us feel less homesick.
Rodney and I were always close and the last 2 times Rodney and I hung out before he passed away were the most powerful days. On 1 occasion I did a live show in hometown South Philly for Q102 radio to promote my very 1st song that made it onto the radio airwaves. I began to feel overwhelmed. Although I was doing TV shows before that, this new addition to my career had my head spinning trying to juggle the TV jobs and acting jobs with my new music career in some organized fashion. 
Rodney helped me learn to do that because he too was feeling overwhelmed but he was stronger than I was and taught me how to juggle it all.  He taught me to just stay focused. Rodney came to the show that night & with him present I felt fearless & focused.While back home he also made appearances as well. 

The last time we hung out after that was at Bomb Bombs Bar while we were again back in South Philly. Rodney and I made a special pact that night with each other... the pact I mentioned earlier. We kept that pact to ourselves & never told anybody about it. We agreed to keep our pact to look out for each other here on Earth & to do it up there in Heaven as well whenever that day ever came. The conversation that night made me sad because I didn't want to think about a close friend like him ever dying or me dying on him but I see now that the powerful conversation had to happen & that God wanted us to have it. God was preparing us for the future days ahead that came much too soon for us.

I didn't think Rodney would pass away that soon after that pact was made. 1 of us is left here now. 1 of us is up there in Heaven. That pact I promised him then I still promise him now that I will always keep his name alive. I know I will see him again when I too graduate earth like he did and go up to work for God where Rodney is and starring as the Superstar Angel!

Thank you Rodney for being my close friend from childhood into adulthood where you always accepted me as me, stood up for me as I did for you, & protected me when you knew I needed it. 
You never let me give up during the times l cried to you that I was exhausted & had it. You would say in that soft, calm voice, "I am too. But we ain't ever quitting. We are too smart and strong to quit."

With your God given talent, extensive knowledge, artistic mind & take no bullshit from anyone attitude you taught me how to survive, you protected me from industry beasts, taught me how to tell the difference between a beast & a blessings & you showed me what true friendship is really all about.

I miss ya & love ya my friend but will see you again soon. Thank you for being you and teaching me to "just be me".
Love Richie

Read Rodney Harvey's Bio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Harvey

Read Richie Rosati's Bio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Rosati