Former Providence Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr. died Thursday morning after reportedly being rushed to a hospital late Wednesday with severe abdominal pains. Cianci, 74, was the Rhode Island capital’s longest-serving mayor, and was forced from office twice: in 1984 when he was arrested for assault; and in 2002 when he went to prison for a racketeering conspiracy. Cianci tried to run for mayor again in 2014 but lost to Jorge Elorza.
