Rumors had gone viral about the legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio and his passing since yesterday; it has sadly been confirmed this morning by his wife/manager Wendy Dio. In a statement to Blabbermouth she released the following:
“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. 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.”
Dio’s musical career began in 1957 to which he stayed active performing till the end. Some of his more notable bands that he was involved with included: ELF, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, DIO, and Heaven & Hell, which I was fortunate to have been a part of that tour came to WA and was invited to photograph the show.
He did look frail, but he was never a large stature of a person (in size) but his presence commanded attention and voice was one of the most powerful and recognizable voices in the industry.
Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer just last year, and underwent treatment which included chemotherapy. He had recently said in an interview, that it makes it more difficult for him to eat. “Well, I feel good and bad at times. It’s a long process. Chemotherapy is a… I never realized what a difficult thing it was to go through. It’s a real cumulative effect — the more you have, the more it piles up on top and it takes longer and longer to get over it. I find it very difficult to eat. I don’t like to eat anyway, so I guess that’s OK. But I know I have to. But this makes it very, very hard. But if you’re determined to beat it, then you have to go with what you believe is going to beat it for you, and in this case it’s that…”
Dio was only 67 when he passed away, but his voice will be heard for an eternity; and he will be missed by many friends, fans, and family. RIP
DIO and his bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice of Heaven & Hell released their first and only studio album, “The Devil You Know”, on April 28, 2009.
