This one hurts. A beloved voice in Rhode Island’s music scene, a Grammy-nominated artist, and a man whose legacy stretched from the stage to the classroom — gone in an instant. Roderick MacLeod, 70, was walking his dog on a quiet road in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, when tragedy struck. It wasn’t just a crash.
It was a collision with a life that had somehow racked up over 100 arrests, 82 warrants, and a rap sheet that reads more like a warning label than a biography.
According to Hopkinton Police, MacLeod was hit early Saturday morning by 41-year-old Shannon Godbout — a woman who, unbelievably, was still roaming the streets despite a long and disturbing history with the law.
Authorities say she veered off the road, took out not one but two telephone poles, and then hit MacLeod as he walked along the shoulder. Illegal narcotics, drug distribution materials — all reportedly found in her vehicle, along with the wreckage she left behind.
And just like that, a life of music, mentorship, and joy was gone.
MacLeod wasn’t just a local musician. He was the local musician. A key member of the band Roomful of Blues, which earned a Grammy nomination and a spot in the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. Recently, he was pouring his talents into students at Brown University, heading up the Old-Time String Band and sharing his gifts with the next generation.
Doug James, a fellow musician and longtime friend, described him best — cheerful, masterful, and someone everyone loved working with. “It just came easily,” James said. That’s how MacLeod made it look — like magic.
But the hardest part to swallow? This wasn’t some random freak accident. This wasn’t unavoidable. This was a repeat offender with decades of red flags, somehow still driving, still out, and still putting lives at risk. Eight arrests just in Hopkinton. Forty traffic citations. Probation violations. Suspended sentences. And yet… she was still on the road.
Police say more charges are likely. She’s currently in custody at Rhode Island Hospital. But for MacLeod’s family, friends, students, and fans, no amount of charges will undo the heartbreak.
The music world lost more than a performer. It lost a mentor, a community staple, a good man walking his dog on a quiet Saturday morning.
