By Terry Miller
What could be more colorful than the Pasadena Rose Parade? Not much, you might say. However, one character stood out from the crowd and was far more colorful than any of his designs of extraordinary floats he mastered over the years.
Raul R. Rodriguez,71, died Wednesday of a heart attack at his home in Pasadena, publicist Harlan Boll announced.
Rodriguez has won more Tournament of Roses awards for his float designs than any single artist. He presented his 500th design in 2012, and his last parade appearance came Jan. 1, 2013, when he and his ever=present macaw, Sebastian, rode the Dole float.
Rodriguez was 15 when he designed his first float. Rodriguez also worked for the Walt Disney for the 50th anniversary Parade of Dreams in 2005.
Rodriguez studied at the Art Center School of Design and attended Cerritos College and California State University Long Beach.
Rodriguez was part of the team that won an Emmy for coverage of the 2001 Tournament of Roses Parade on Univision, and he received the prestigious Arthur Nobel Award from the City of Pasadena.
Survivors include his spouse Robert Cash, sisters Irene and Teresa and a number of aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins.
A funeral mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 7 at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 311 N. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. A 10 a.m. Rosary will precede the funeral mass. The burial service will be private.