Angelo Colon was always a “clean freak.” Even as a child, when playing in dirt was the norm, Angelo needed to wash his hands as often as possible.
“When he was younger, the kids would be out there playing, and every two minutes he’d go into the house because he got a little dirt on his hands,” Kim Tolliver, Angelo’s aunt, remembered.
He loved to be fresh and “he would change his clothes three or four times a day,” according to his mother, Janet Tolliver. That obsession with cleanliness transitioned into his love for dressing.
“All he wanted to do was shop,” Janet said. “He’d say, ‘Mommy, I see this $400 belt, mommy.’”
On September 13, 2016, Angelo’s life was taken. He was murdered in South Philadelphia outside of a Chinese food restaurant. 13 days after his death, his grandmother passed, and both of them were buried at the same time.
At the time of his murder, the 21-year-old had a daughter on the way. He was so excited for this new phase of his life.
“The day before he died, he had made a video. They went to Friday’s, and he said, ‘Next year my daughter’s going to be sitting here next to me,’” Janet said. “He couldn’t wait to be a father.”
Angelo had been received his high school diploma and was working a job for the City of Philadelphia.
“A leader, not a follower,” and the “life of the party” is how family and friends remember Angelo.
“He was outgoing. If you sit around with family, you’d think he’s quiet, but he’d be a whole totally different person,” Kim said. “People would say, ‘I didn’t know he had a voice!’”
Angelo sure did have a voice. He was passionate about recording music, and was was rapper by the name of Lo. He was close to his cousin, rapper Meek Mill.
“My mission is to save my family from these streets and change the mindframe of all my lil cousins growing up in it!!!! #RIPLO hurt me to see you in this same spot lifeless,” Meek Mill shared in a tribute to his cousin on Instagram.
Angelo’s entire life, his mother and aunt tried to pull him away from South Philadelphia for a safer future. But Angelo always gravitated back to his friends in South Philadelphia, the area where he grew up.
While Angelo is gone, his memory lives on in his daughter, and even in a balloon lingering on the corner where he died.
“That red balloon would not leave the corner where he was killed,” Janet said. “It’s still there. All of the other balloons left, but it’s still there.”
Date: 2016-09-13
Location: 1800 Snyder Ave, Philadelphia, PA
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