Ricciuti Remembered as Kind and Talented in Aftermath of Crash

By late Thursday afternoon a number of friends and fans of Scott Ricciuti had begun an outpouring of remembrances and condolences on various Facebook pages, including his own.

"Scott, there are no words to describe the love that all of your friends and family had for you," wrote a friend. "You will truly be missed by all who knew you, even if it was only for a short while. Your musical talent and ability to make even a stranger smile is a quality this world needs. The world suffered a loss losing you. Rest in peace, Scott. I can only promise to sing a little louder and smile a lot more often in honor of you and your life."

Service information has not yet been released. 

A Singer and guitarist, Ricciuti was a very well-known presence on the Worcester music scene, making a name for himself in the 1980s with his original band Childhood. Ricciuti formed the pop trio Huck with great success in the late '90s, and continued to play with the band in recent years, said longtime friend Charlene Arsenault. He also assembled and recorded with a roots, country-tinged act called Pistol Whipped in recent years, played in the backing band for Shana Morrison (Van Morrison's daughter), and often performed solo since becoming a full-time musician.

(See attached video of a performance with Shana Morrison)

Along with those remembering him locally today, many across the regional music scene will miss his presence. A post in his honor is currently featured on themusicisover.com, just above a memorial for Barney McKenna, the last living member of the legendary Irish folk group the Dubliners, who died the same day. 

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette interviewed Ricciuti's longtime friend and colleague Vincent Hemmeter, owner of Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner, Nick's Bar and Restaurant and Vincent's, on Thursday.

“He's definitely the nicest guy I've ever known,” said Hemmeter to the T&G. “It's a huge loss. He's a great musician, great songwriter, great friend. We did a lot of things together. He would help anybody out with anything. He helped me out so many times.”

Along with his musical talent, many others spoke of Ricciuti's immense kindness as well.

"If you met Scott once, you had a friend for life. Always with a smile, a handshake, a hug. I was a better person for knowing him and although we didn't see each other a lot, ever time I saw him he would cross a room for a hug and a hello, said Paul Beck, in a comment on Marlborough Patch. "I called him my friend and I will greatly miss him. My heart has died a little today. Rest in Peace my brother! You were taken from us way too soon. I wish I had gone to more shows. My heart and thoughts to his lovely girlfriend, family, friends and fans."

Pistol Whipped drummer and friend Duncan Arsenault remembered the Marlborough musician fondly on Facebook. 

"I've been sharing a musical and personal journey with that man for a long time," he said. "Experiences that could fill bookshelves and music that will last forever. I had hoped we would be elderly men, still taking that journey and figuring it all out."

Arsenault told the T&G he was a musician whose artistic journey was cut too short, and that Ricciuti had been experiencing an enormous amount of creative inspiration recently. 

“Scott was on a great musical journey and it was cut short.,” Mr. Arsenault said. “He was a beautiful guy and seriously, seriously talented. It was everyone's great honor to play with him. And you could tell because everyone wanted to play with him. He was getting offers left and right.”

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