Metal will never die

[Geeklet]

Ronnie James Dio 1942-2010

Truly a sad day for metal fans everywhere. The man may have left this earth, but the legend will live on forever. \m/

RIP Dio.

[Samael]

Ah, damn...
My favorite Metal Group took their band name from one of his albums...

RIP.

\m/

[Wolfy]

D: Not DIO!

[Host of Seraphim]

In his memory...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD6d8vAL9EY#

:-(

[TheGlyphstone]

Saw someone post this on another one of my forums, so same response:

*devil's horns salute*

[LexAeternum]

You can't kill the metal.

[Stattick]

Yesterday, Ronnie James Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer. May he rest in peace. It's his turn in line, and he'll finally know if he's evil or divine.  :'(

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.

Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J., with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell.

"Today my heart is broken," Wendy Dio wrote on the singer's site, adding he died at 7:45 a.m. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all," Wendy Dio continued. "We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us ... Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

The statement was confirmed by Los Angeles publicist Maureen O'Connor. Dio was being treated at a Houston hospital, according to his site.

Though Dio had recently undergone his seventh chemotherapy treatment, he was hopeful to perform again. Earlier this month, Heaven And Hell canceled its summer tour, but Dio did not view being sidelined as a permanent thing.

"Wendy, my doctors and I have worked so hard to make it happen for all of you, the ones we care so much about, that this setback could be devastating, but we will not let it be," he said in a statement. "With your continued love and support, we ... will carry on and thrive. There will be other tours, more music, more life and much more magic."

Dio rose to fame in 1975 as the first lead singer of Rainbow, the heavy metal band put together by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had just quit Deep Purple.

Dio then replaced legendary vocalist Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980 with the critically acclaimed album "Heaven And Hell," considered by many critics to be one of the finest heavy metal albums of all time. His on-again, off-again tenure with Black Sabbath touched off an intense debate among fans as to which singer was the true essence of the band — a discussion that lasted until his death.

He also enjoyed a successful solo career with his self-titled band, Dio, in between his three stints with Black Sabbath (1980-82; 1992; and 2007-2009, when the band toured as Heaven And Hell, to differentiate it from Osbourne-led versions of Sabbath).

Many of his most memorable songs revolved around the struggle between good and evil, including his signature tune "Heaven And Hell." He also drew heavily on medieval imagery in songs like "Neon Knights," "Killing The Dragon" and "Stargazer."

"He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match it," said Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, whose band toured with Dio since 1983, and was to do so again this summer at European rock festivals. "He was the nicest, classiest person you would ever want to meet."

Dio organized an all-star charity collaboration in 1986 called "Hear N' Aid" to raise money for famine relief in Africa, styled on the successful "We Are The World" campaign of a few years earlier.

His solo hits included "Rainbow In The Dark," "The Last In Line" and "Holy Diver."

[thebobmaster]

I heard about this on the radio waking me up this morning, and came online to confirm it. Damn, that sucks. He was a really cool guy (whose fear of aliens or anything is unclear). He was a decent replacement for Ozzy for Black Sabbath, and Dio was an awesome band, as was Rainbow. Plus, he had a guest appearance on a Tenacious D song, showing he didn't take himself too seriously.

Let us all flip up the devil horns in his honor. \m/ \m/

[National Acrobat]

For me, this is like losing my 'John Lennon'. I love metal. I've lived it, I've played it, I've written it, I've recorded it. My very first 'metal' album was 'The Mob Rules' which I got when it was released. I was 12. I was already a Kiss fan at that point, but they weren't metal. Sabbath with Dio was metal. The first notes of 'Turn up the Night' and Dio's powerful voice had me. I went out and got 'Heaven and Hell', and then the rest of the Sabbath back catalogue, and soon I was listening to Priest, Maiden, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Saxon, Diamond Head, and the next thing I knew, I'd bought a guitar. Dio has always been my favorite vocalist, and the first three Rainbow albums are constantly on play on my itunes and Ipod. As a guitarist, Iommi and Blackmore are my main influences, and it's no suprise that some of my favorite work was done with Dio.

In middle school and high school, although it sounds terribly cliched, we used to listen to 'Holy Diver' and 'Heaven and Hell' while playing Dungeons and Dragons. It just seemed perfect.

Dio's music, whether it be Elf, Ronnie and the Prophets (and yes, I have the 45s from that era, hard to find, but quite an amazing contrast when placed next to his other music), Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio or Heaven and Hell (which is really Sabbath), the man's music has been part of my life for thirty years. It's a stark reminder to those of us who loved metal back in the seventies and eighties that our heroes are getting older. I feel fortunate that I saw Heaven and Hell on their 2007 Tour. Even at 65, he sounded great, and spent hours after the show signing autographs and greeting fans. He's going to be missed.

[Wolfy]

R.I.P

From the same guy that does Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Abridged...a tribute. o3o

[AtlasEros]

Dio was great, I liked him better as Dio & not in Sabbath.  My favorite song of his is Mystery.  Also love the video of Holy Diver where he cuts the guy with the axe in half with his sword, just bad ass.  I've gotten a lot of people into Dio over the years.  He was a great front man & one of the truly influencial men of metal.  I was fortunately enough to see him about 5 years ago in concert with Motorhead & Iron Maiden.

[Stattick]

I saw that concert.

[AtlasEros]

I saw that concert.

I saw them in MD, which state did you see that in?  Would be funny if we were at the same show.

[Stattick]

I saw them in MD, which state did you see that in?  Would be funny if we were at the same show.

It would be funny, but I saw it in CA.