Nick Masullo, center, receives a hug from friend and fellow musician Kelly Mulhollan, right, before the start of a benefit concert Jan. 30, 2005, to fund a renovation of the Masullo home to accommodate Masullo’s wheelchair. Masullo died Saturday.

A well-known artist in the Fayetteville folk music scene who continued to write songs while battling multiple sclerosis died Saturday at his home.

Nick Masullo was surrounded by friends and family members when he died at his home, according to friend and fellow musician Kelly Mulhollan.

"We played a lot of Nick's songs right there in the last hours," Mulhollan said. "It was very touching."

Survivors include his wife, Ginny, two sons and five sisters.

Masullo, who was born in 1952, had been most active with producing music within the last seven years. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003, and the disease took away his ability to walk and within the last two years, play the guitar.

However, he was still writing music and essays toward the very end.

"Even after he had MS, three albums of his songs came up," said Emily Kaitz, who helped produce some of his albums.

His albums, sold at the Ozark Natural Foods store and through his Web site, nickmasullo. com, included "Some Kind of Sign, " "Everything You've Got "and "The Lost Songs. "Many of the songs on "Everything You've Got "were inspired by his experiences with multiple sclerosis, Kaitz said.

"The amazing thing about Nick was... with each loss of abilities that he suffered, he adapted with grace and creativity and even humor," Kaitz said. "He didn't dwell on his own problems. He wasn't really depressed."

Due to his inability to continue playing the guitar," The Lost Songs"would be the last album with him playing the songs.

However, he was able to keep writing, Mulhollan said, and a fourth album," After the Storm," features original songs performed by other artists. It is also available at Ozark Natural Foods, Mulhollan said.

A major theme in his music was encouraging people to fulfill their full potential and overcome challenges, according to Mulhollan and musician Donna Stjerna.

Some of Masullo's honors include Songwriter of the Year from the Ozark Music Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at the North Arkansas Music Awards.

He was also a first-place winner once in the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Songwriting Competition and won an award for Best Contemporary Folk Song at the Winfield, Kan., Walnut Valley Festival.

"His proudest achievement was the Woody Guthrie festival," Mulhollan said. "That was the zenith of his music career. "

Prior to his death, Masullo had completed a book of essays, which is scheduled to be released on Oct. 2 in an event at St. Paul's Episcopal Church Parish Hall.

"It's going to be a celebration of Nick's life," Mulhollan said.

Masullo came to Arkansas from New York and lived in the state for 36 years, Mulhollan said. He worked for the Ozark Cooperative Warehouse from the 1970 s until 2003, and Masullo was working as the general manager of the cooperative when he left.

He also volunteered for many years as a skating coach for the Special Olympics.

Mulhollan said there was a network of about 20 people who volunteered on a rotating basis to help the family take care of Masullo in his final years.

"He was just about the nicest guy you would ever want to know," said Kaitz, who was on the schedule to visit Masullo on Tuesdays.

In January 2005, Mulhollan, Stjerna, Emily Kaitz and other musicians performed a benefit concert to raise funds to make his home more wheelchair accessible.

"It took a life of its own. It turned out there were a whole bunch of people who were ready to help Nick," Mulhollan said. "He just gave so much in his life that when it came his time, it came back 10-fold."