Cianci, the longest serving mayor of Rhode Island's capital city, ran Providence for 22 years in all, from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002.
He attempted another comeback in 2014, unsuccessfully running as an independent for mayor seven years after he completed a 4-1/2 prison term for racketeering.
Despite his convictions, Cianci remained popular with many residents. Supporters credited him with improving an economically depressed, once mob-dominated city during his six terms.
In 1984, Cianci was forced to resign after pleading no contest to assaulting a man he accused of having a relationship with his estranged wife.
In 2001, federal authorities charged Cianci with corruption in an investigation dubbed "Operation Plunder Dome." Cianci, who maintained his innocence, was accused of overseeing a City Hall in which officials solicited bribes and engaged in extortion.
His political saga made him a national figure. Journalist Mike Stanton chronicled the story in the book "The Prince of Providence."
Cianci hosted a talk show on radio station WPRO in Rhode Island, which reported his death on air on Thursday morning. Cianci was taken to a hospital on Wednesday night after falling ill while filming his weekly television show, "On the Record with Buddy Cianci," for ABC6 in Providence, the station said on its website.
WPRO issued the following statement:
“It is with profound sadness that the WPRO-AM and Cumulus Providence family acknowledges the passing of Buddy Cianci, a dynamic force on our airwaves all over Southern New England for the past nearly nine years.
We join his friends and family in their sorrow at this difficult time.
We choose to focus on the truly extraordinary and positive contributions the former Mayor made in the lives of so many in our community and among his fellow broadcasters.
The twice elected Mayor of Providence served for over 21 years and leaves a legacy that will be felt for many years to come.”Cianci had battled cancer prior to the 2014 election.
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