The loss of Joseph Ricotta on November 3rd of this year in a tragic plane crash in Bolivia shocked millions. A rising star in the music industry renowned for his generosity to others, his death felt to many as though it cut short limitless potential, but this is not the way Joe would want anyone to picture it. 
	During his life, he was an avid supporter of memento mori style philosophy. “Moriar, sed morior” was one of his favorite Latin phrases, which means I shall die, but I must die. He would often quote this phrase to friends and family who came to him struggling with loss, citing death as just one part of a person’s life and highlighting the importance of focusing on the good that person had done with their life (Moreau Week 3). 
When thinking of Joe’s life in this manner, his generosity to others, both in his career and in his personal life, stands out as its defining feature.  He brought thoughtfulness and insight into every conversation. Friends and family often remarked that one would never expect this kind of deep, contemplative thought from the often wild and eccentric Joe, who always took great advantage of this energy on stage in his performances and in his public image.  In his free time, however, he would often be found meditating and practicing self-reflection. He credited these slow moments of his day with helping him to organize his thoughts daily to better approach his life (Moreau Week 1). 
As much as Joe loved to practice meditation by himself, he equally loved practicing mindfulness with those around him. Many of his close friends are familiar with his tradition of hosting a reflection dinner at his house on Wednesday evenings. He would invite friends and colleagues to come to dinner together and share their life stories with others. He saw this as a great opportunity to form a strong sense of community among people from many backgrounds. He used these opportunities to nurture camaraderie from within and break down the walls presented by stereotypes and assumptions. Joe spent much of his time using his influence in the music industry to promote community building as well as the idea of mutual respect among both peers and fans alike because he truly believed that a united and diverse international community would be the best possible force for good in the world. He started his Global Neighborhood program in 2030 to combat this issue by helping to organize volunteer groups for humanitarian crises that were comprised of people from diverse backgrounds to promote bonding through teamwork and service to others. In addition to this, Joe took every opportunity to preform free benefit concerts for many other organizations (Moreau week 7).
Joe’s passion for music was present throughout his entire life, which only grew when he learned to play the guitar during the COVID-19 pandemic. Music first truly became a big part of his life after he graduated from Notre Dame in 2025. Feeling confused about where to go, he approached friends and family asking them to suggest careers that would fit him. Citing his love of music and his desire to have a positive impact on the lives of others, they recommended he try his hand at being a professional musician. Although it took some time of trial and error as well as a lot of discovery, this decision would prove to be the start of an illustrious career in both music and philanthropy (Moreau Week 5). 
During his career, Joe released seven studio albums alongside a multitude of singles, each of which saw more success and popularity than the last. As the money started to flow when his song “Out of My Head” shot to top of the billboard top 100, Joe became trapped in the rockstar lifestyle of luxury. His worldwide tours became an excuse to travel the world and party with the world’s elite, but after two years of this lifestyle brought him no fulfillment, he decided it was time for a change (Moreau Week 6). He took a yearlong break from music during which time he reflected on the choices that had led him to this point. During this time, Joe discovered the value of his community when people from all over the industry reached out to offer him support during his break. This experience was very transformative for Joe and cited it as the inspiration behind his Wednesday dinners and even his entire organization (Moreau Week 2).  
From this point onward, Joe poured his time and money into building a strong sense of community wherever and whenever he could, culminating in the founding of Global Neighborhood and arguably the most successful part of his career. As news of his charitable work spread alongside his music, Joe shot to the top of the charts and released some of his most popular albums over the course of the next few years. It was around this time that one of my favorite stories of Joe occurred that I feel perfectly shows his commitment to his work. On the first day of his fourth album’s release tour, Joe was in a car accident that resulted in a broken leg. Against all recommendations, Joe played his show that night from a wheelchair, which he had rigged to a set of pulleys above the stage to ensure that not even a broken bone would stop his antics on the stage. In much the same way, Joe never let anything stop him from forwarding his work off the stage. Even when pandemics canceled concerts, Joe would still be found wherever it was safe preforming volunteering to benefit research for a cure. Even as his stardom began to dwindle towards the end of his career, Joe remained committed to his goals and continued to tour and play shows to raise money for Global Neighborhood for the remainder of his life. Although his life was cut short by this tragic crash, I think that we all can agree that the work Joe did in contributing to the growth and nourishment of the global community is something that will continue to impact the lives of millions for decades to come, and as such, his life should be seen as one truly well lived (Moreau Week 4).