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To All The Musicians Rick Loved And Supported: Please Come and Play A Song For Him.

His Boundless Energy And Generosity Truly Made A Difference For So Many Folks.

This Is A Major Loss For Us And Our Extended Family And We Extend Our Deepest

Our friend Curtis Brand has written and recorded THIS tribute song to Our Dear Rick The Genius.

A unique man with a warm heart, friendly smile and the ability to make the person on the other end of his arm feel like they were special... Well, he was, and we will miss him. See you again Rick, keep a pen for us

I'm saddened to hear that Rick has gone onto the next world, I believe this one is a little less special without him. I would like to attest that Rick was a "genius" at crossword puzzles. I also know that he was very generous in loaning his time and money. He was one of those unique life characters and I am grateful that he passed through my life. I think of Rick at times because some of the most treasured pictures on my wall were gifts from him. Several the last photo's taken of ones I loved. Rick captured the beauty and spirit of these people and times forever. Thank you Rick. Happy Trails, Rest in Peace - Darlene Fuller

I would like to express my condolences for the loss of Rick the Genius. Rick was a unique person whom you met only once in a lifetime. Rick had many special qualities. I disagree with Richard Pelquin, I think Rick's shameless self promotion was one of those qualities. I hope to see you all at the May 3rd gathering. - Jess

I was saddened to hear the news that Rick passed away. I will always have a special place in my heart for Rick 'the Genius'. He was a huge part of the Desert and such a pleasure to know! He had a heart of gold and always made you feel good about being 'you'.. I'm sorry I didnt find out sooner so I could have said my own goodbye. He will be be missed all. I am lucky enough to have gotten a chance to know such a wonderful person. Rest in Peace Rick.. - Lauren Savoie

My deepest sympathy, to you on the loss of Rick, He was and will remain a great person, who willingly shared his friendship, his music, his wit ,fantastic knowledge and wisdom to all who knew him. I will miss him very much ,as will all his friends on paltalk. again my sympathy. - Tom Weddle

I had the pleasure of meeting Rick in "The Best Of Love Music Room" on Paltalk. He was a wonderful person. He will be sincerely missed by all who's life he touched. My deepest condolences go out to you. God Bless you and always remember "Joy Comes In The Morning" - blkdiamone2u

I for one will miss that MAD genious!!! also...I may have figured out his directions for the mall he gave me in 2001!!! Thanks for everything RTG! - Steverain

Rick was a HUGE contributor to this community. Generous to a fault, 20 years from now we'll still be finding people he'd helped. - rainbase

Sad sad news to hear that Rick is gone. He was just one of those human being, you only meet once in a lifetime and never forget. To speak with Rick was like being in a Marx Brothers movie. A lot of laughter, and a lot of kindness and a lot of brilliant information, about things you never thought of or knew about, and always told with a glimpse in his eyes and a deep sense of humor. I´m grateful that I met him and are sending a lot of loving thoughts and good karma. He really pointed out to me that its a crazy world we are living in, but it has become a lot poorer without Rick ! May the four winds blow you safely home ! - Clovis Gauguin, Denmark

I have witnessed five incarnations of Richard DiLalla over the last fifty years. Richard was a precocious 11-year old. He repaired a tube radio I inherited from my grandparents for a whopping 35 cents. He was a ham radio operator and connected to the world over the short wave bands. His basement rock & roll parties were entertaining and set the tone for 60’s abandonment. His excitement, even as a 12 year old, was infectious.

In 1964, Richard and I survived an experiment in social engineering that yielded a whopping 50% flunk-out rate of freshman boys at the University of Connecticut . The “Jungle” was an aptly named collection of World War II era dormitories, thrown up for returning troops starting college training under the G.I. Bill, that was the dormitory for all 1100 freshman boys. The young men who didn’t make to sophomore year were promptly enrolled in the Viet Nam program. Richard survived and contracted a memorable marriage to an extraordinary woman.

I caught up with Richard and Pat near what was to be the train wreck side of their marriage. Their large Colonial was being remodeled after at least fifty years 50 years of deferred maintenance. The Dobermans were in great shape and the horses in the barn represented a small fortune. After the fall, Richard shared that his income peaked at $244K gross as a freelance computer consultant. During the fall, Pat and her girlfriend romped through his computer room with electro magnets and erased twenty years of documentation. Pat added to the mix of marital strife with drug and alcohol abuse and several visits to a local mental hospital. At Pat’s behest, Richard purchased life insurance to protect her financially. After a few months of premiums payments, Richard found himself pinned to his kitchen floor with a gun to his head. He actively prayed to God, the gun went click instead of bang and with the help of prayer, a neighbor knocked on the kitchen door. Needless to say, their marriage was way beyond marital intervention. After Pat’s overdose, the final cure, Richard stayed true to his God-inspired kitchen floor prayer. An annuity, inherited on his wife’s passing, was invested conservatively and donated on a monthly basis to various local charities. I applauded him and shared with others, including you, on how really a great spirit handles adversity. On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Richard brought various partners to have sexual congress on Pat’s grave. Richard gets high marks for creativity, ingenuity and determination. First, he passed up the earnings from the annuity. Second, he had to find a partner willing to debauch in a graveyard at night and finally that he had the determination to make the yearly bacchanal a tradition.

I saw Richard at the dead low tide of life. He was living above the Sunshine Card Shop on Main Street in Danielson and working for Sunshine Bob as gofer and technician. One really hot August day, I went up to see if he was still alive. Sunshine Bob hadn’t heard much noise upstairs for a few days. Rick, (he had morphed in Rick or Ace many years before) was face down on the mattress. He wasn’t in the mood to converse. Fortunately, I was right in thinking that he just needed to sleep it off.

On good days Rick worked for Bob. On bad days, he found that his prescriptions did not work well with alcohol. Rick had a chemical imbalance that took years to remedy. Meanwhile, his eyesight deteriorated into legal blindness. His vintage Cadillac Coupe was given to a good home. The incarnation resolved with a daily cocktail of industrial-strength medication taken at prescribed intervals, support groups and a cornea implant. Rick’s eyesight was restored to better than 20-20. He bought a camera and set-up a photo processing lab and computer lab at home. His new apartment was off Main Street and had furniture. He was still in Danielson but his social life took a turn upward.

The fifth incarnation started when I brought Rick to the Rain Desert . I moved on but Rick really never left. He reinvented himself as sound & video expert, Chief Financial Officer and unofficial food taster. After his caseworker reported that a test scored his IQ at 200, he became “Rick the Genius”, a personality with whom most of you are familiar.

His downfall came at the hands of the medical profession. They giveth life and they taketh away. A routine chest X-ray showed a spot that needed further testing: blood work, MRI and a biopsy, and a repeat of same for months. After a near death experience at Day Kimball Hospital , he was rescued by UMASS Medical Center . In the course of events, Rick quit smoking. His Carbon footprint was cut by 50% but the change to a healthier environment just played havoc with his system. If he had only just said no to the medical profession, he might still be puffing away planning his memorial visit to Pat’s grave.