'Scott' Ricciuti Remembered as a Beloved Friend and Local Musician

Marlborough resident James S. "Scott" Ricciuti  was killed in an overnight crash on 290 eastbound Thursday morning, but is being remembered by many friends and family in the aftermath of the event. 

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.

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."

(A video of Ricciuti playing with his band Pistol Whipped is attached to this article.)

Ricciuti's life, however, ended abruptly Thursday morning when Massachusetts State Trooper Mathew Moran found him deceased while investigating a stream of debris on 290 eastbound. He was found inside his gray 2006 Toyota Matrix in a wooded median, and had sustained fatal injuries at the scene.

"Thank you to all of my dear friends who are filling up my phone with messages of love and support," said Roger Lavallee, one of Ricciuti's best friends, and a musician who recorded most of Scott's work. "We are all devastated together. I can't imagine life without Scott. I wish I was exaggerating. The importance of this man in my life cannot be measured. Not with tears. Not with joy. Not with music. This is all I can say right now."

A preliminary investigation by state police indicates that Ricciuti's vehicle veered out of a travel lane and struck the beginning of a segment of guardrail, causing the end of the guardrail to impact the vehicle," said state police in a statement.

Check back with Marlborough Patch for updates on this story.

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