David Rodney Walls, 32, died Tuesday at Riverside Hospital. He had been a resident of New York City since 1979 and was a free lance artist in musical performance. He was a graduate of Warwick High School and held a bachelor of arts degree in music performance from Greensboro College, Greensboro, N.C. He studied at Julliard School of Music in New York. Survivors include his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar W. Webb II of Newport News; a brother, Edgar W. Webb III; his grandparents, Marjorie and Okie Ellison of Princeton, W.Va.; and Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Burton of Hinton, W.Va.