Topic: RIP Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio, one of heavy metal's all-time greatest singers and a five-decade rock veteran, died early Sunday morning, according to a statement posted on his website by his wife and longtime manager, Wendy Dio. The singer, known for his work with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell and his own band, Dio, died less than a year after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 67.
"Today my heart is broken. Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m.," Wendy Dio's statement reads. "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. 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."
With his powerful signature vocals and doom-laden lyrics, Dio fronted several iconic bands during his career: Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and, of course, Dio. In 2009, he released The Devil You Know LP with the outfit Heaven and Hell, which featured the same lineup as the post-Ozzy Osbourne incarnation of Sabbath that he fronted in the early 1980s.
Possessed with one of the most recognizable voices in rock music, Dio's onstage theatrics (swords, mock dragon slaying), medieval themes and cool stage presence helped win the adulation of generations of metal fans and musicians, including mainstream figures like Jack Black and Dave Grohl. Contemporary "metalcore" band Killswitch Engage regularly covers Dio's "Holy Diver" in their live set, even going so far as to release a lovingly campy music video in homage.
Dio is credited with popularizing (if not inventing) the "devil horns" hand gesture used by everyone from the darkest of death and black metal acts to pop stars, athletes and professional wrestlers. Dio often said he got the symbol -- the "Malocchio" or "Evil Eye" -- from his Italian grandmother.
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I am very sad. I grew up listening to Sabbath and Dio. He was a great man and one of the best metal singers that ever lived.
/me gives Dio the devils horns