Heavy metal heaven just got a little bit bigger. Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67. And liked to rock…
Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona — July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with Testament of Apollo, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear ‘n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the “devil’s horns” hand gesture in metal culture. He was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose first and only studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009. On the morning of May 16, 2010, he died of stomach cancer.
Message from Wendy Dio
Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.
– Wendy Dio
Slash, former lead guitarist for Guns n’ Roses, referred to Dio moments ago as “one of the best Heavy Metal singers of all time.” Avenged Sevenfold’s Mike Portnoy called today “one of the saddest days in metal ever” and opined that the deceased Dimebag Darrell, Randy Rhoads, Metallica’s Cliff Burton, and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham just gained the “ultimate singer.” Meanwhile, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, responding to last night’s erroneously early report that Dio had passed, stated that he was “One of rock’s greatest singers” and also said that he was “Cranking Mob Rules in his memory. Thanks Ronnie for rocking me like crazy.”