R.I.P DIO !

Upsetting and fortunately not true. He can't be doing well though.

One of my absolute favorite singers of all time.

RIP Dio. He still brought it right up to the point the cancer incapacitated him. As I said on MR, fuck cancer... what a vindictive and unfortunately, undiscriminating disease.

RIP Ronnie. You are one of the best. I know Saint John agrees with me when I say we lost a GREAT guy.
I'm thinking even with all this sadness , there is one guy smiling above ,,,Jimi Fucking Hendrix just got his singer and they're jamming all nite with Phyl Lynnot. Rock On Dio. You will be missed.

I am beyond devastated.

RIP Ronnie you were one in a million!

This is a tough one for me. News spread at the Kiss Convention I was at. My friends and I actually were the ones to break it to Bruce Kulick (prince of a guy by the way).

I saw Heaven and Hell last year just before he was diagnosed. He was still performing at a very high level.

Ronnie last month. He looked good. Motherfucker this sucks!

My wife hugged me when I came home. I am will always be a huge fan of Ronnie. A little piece of my life isn't there anymore.

I'm totally numb!!!

So sad and such a shame, I'm gonna miss that firecrackered Fella.

Ed wrote:Ronnie last month. He looked good. Motherfucker this sucks!

Someone needs to silence that loud Sir in the backround.
Shut Up!, I can't hear Dio man!.

KISS have issued the following statement concerning RJD.




We mourn the tragic passing of the great Ronnie
James Dio. In addition to his powerhouse vocal ability, Ronnie was a
true gentleman who always emanated great warmth and friendship to us and
everyone around him. We will miss him.

Paul, Gene, Tommy and Eric




May
17
2010

QUEEN guitarist Brian May
has posted the following message on his web site
regarding the passing of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James
Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW):

"It's
a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone. Even though we had all
known he was battling with cancer for some time, he was such a wiry
fighter, and of such an amazingly optimistic nature, I think I assumed
he would go on forever.

"Well, he fought to the very end... was
gearing up to go back out on tour.

"I know this will be a very
hard blow for my friend Tony Iommi.

"When I last saw Ronnie
in Los Angeles, he was as full of life and positivity as anybody I've
ever known .. and sang up a storm with HEAVEN & HELL in the
Universal Amphitheatre.

"In my opinion, Ronnie was one of
the creators of the genre of heavy metal.
I'm not an expert on his work — there are many people much more
knowledgeable than me... but our paths crossed many times over the
years, and I had clear glimpses of his unique spirit and personality. He
was in many ways the antithesis of the current mould of TV-bred
singers. He had no apparent desire for fame, in the sense that so many 'X-Factor'
contestants seem to. He was not a TV face, a 'celebrity.' He just loved
doing what he did. So, to his millions of fans, there was an
unquestionable feeling of reality to his persona, his songwriting, and
his performances. His lyric-writing was very distinctive, and set a
style in heavy metal which has influenced many bands over the years. To
me, it was as if his mind operated in layers — on the surface, a
hard-working honest singer, with a great humanity and strong sense of
humour — and underneath, in the world of his songs, his subconscious
seemed to be populated by hobgoblins of all kinds, and palpable evil
forever on the march. His lyrics, dark and mysterious, in tune with the
metal ethos, always represented the sword of goodness in triumph over
evil.

"I don't know if he invented the devil-horn salute, but he
was certainly the man who, more than ever, made it a universal symbol, a
worldwide salute of metal.

"He was universally loved in the
community of rock music, and will be sorely missed."

Tony Iommi:



My Dear Friend Ronnie


17th May 2010


Yesterday 16^th May my dear, dear friend Ronnie James
Dio passed away at 7.45am LA time. I’ve been in total shock I just
can’t believe he’s gone. Ronnie was one of the nicest people you could
ever meet, we had some fantastic times together. Ronnie loved what he
did, making music and performing on stage. He loved his fans so much. He
was a kind man and would put himself out to help others. I can honestly
say it’s truly been an honor to play at his side for all these years,
his music will live on forever. Our thoughts are with Wendy Dio who
stood by Ronnie until the end, he loved her very much. The man with the
magic voice is a star amongst stars, a true professional. I’ll miss you
so much my dear friend. RIP - Tony

Rudy Sarzo's facebook status:

I'm saddened beyond words. I will miss the sound of your voice, your magical presence and your wondrous stories. My only consolation is that your now free from your pain. I love you Ronnie.
Rudy

Today is a very sad day in the history of Rock´n´Roll... Ronnie James Dio is
Dead!
Last year Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer and taken under treatment. Few
reports were made about his state, but it seemed like Dio was responding well on the treatment. And now this shock!
My youngest daughter came into the living room and told me the news.
I just can´t believe it´s true. The world has lost the most beautiful, powerful and dynamic voice there ever was. Not only that, he was also a very friendly, down to earth rockstar.

The first time I heard Ronnie's voice was in 1975. One of my best friends at
school had just bought Rainbows first album and was totally excited about it.
He told me that I just got to hear this music. So we skipped class and sneaked
out of school and went home to his house to listen to it.
The first song on the record was "Man on the Silver Mountain". It started off
with a typical Ritchie Blackmore riff. Then followed that magic moment when I
heard the voice that would forever change my life. It just leaped out of the
loud speakers and grabbed hold of my soul.

In September 1976 i went to see Rainbow play live at the concert house in
Stockholm. It was the first real rock concert I ever attended.
Think about that back then there was no internet, no rock music was hardly
ever played on tv or radio, and the papers never wrote anything about rock
bands. All I'd ever seen of the band were the pics on the record sleeves. So
this was going to be a huge event for me.

The lights went down and on went the classic intro tape taken from The Wizzard
of Oz with Judy Garland saying "I guess we´re not in Kansas anymore... We must
be over the Rainbow!" Then... There they were, in real life. The opening track
was "Kill the King". One of the most driving and powerful hard rock songs ever
written. Ritchie Blackmore played like a maniac, Cozy Powell hammered his
double kick drums sounding like a thunderstorm. But most of all, carrying the
whole band on his shoulders... Dio. With a voice that was cutting thru the wall
of sound like a laser beam thru steel.
I could hardly understand that they were humans. To me this was as close to a
religious experience as I'll ever get. After the show I felt reborn. I just
knew that this was the meaning of life and that I was going to be part of it.
That night I was saved by the power of Rock´n´Roll and reverend Ronnie James
Dio.

In 1986 when Europe were touring Japan I met Dio one night at a rockclub in
Tokyo. They were also touring Japan and had played a show earlier that night.
It was their bass player Jimmy Bains birthday so they had a party for him there.
When Dio saw us he invited us to join them. It was such a great honor for me
to meet my first ever idol. We sat and talked for hours. He was one the nicest
and most humble man I ever met. When i told him that it was thanks to him and
Rainbow that I had become a musician he smiled said thanks and that maybe Dio
could be Europe´s support band someday!!! It was just one of those night´s I
will never forget.
That night Dio made me realize the importance of being humble and to take some
time and listen to your fans.

Thank you Ronnie James Dio for making me what I am today and for all the
beautiful songs and memories that´s made my life richer.

Your voice will be missed on earth, but heavens choir has never sounded this
good!

/Ian

In the wake of heavy-metal singer Ronnie
James Dio's death on Sunday, tributes have been pouring in from
fans, bandmates and fellow musicians. Slash, Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx,
Queen's Brian May, the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and the members
of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden are among the musicians who took to the
Internet to honor Dio, who fronted Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and
Hell and, of course, his own band, Dio, over the course of his long
career.

"Ronnie died at 7:45 a.m.," Slash
tweeted. "But his music will live for eternity."
"I still have this image of him standing onstage in front of
100,000 belting out 'Man on the Silver Mountain' and remember the
shivers it sent up my spine," said Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, who
became friends with Dio while touring Europe. "[Dio was] one of the
kindest souls I have ever met, and his talent was beyond inspirational
to so many of us."

Billy Corgan took to Twitter: "R.I.P. Ronnie James
Dio. I only got to meet him once and I can honestly say he was the
nicest person I have ever met in music. ... Ronnie was a true gentleman,
and obviously one of the best rock singers there will ever be. What a
sad loss."

"It's a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone," Queen guitarist
Brian May wrote in a post on his website.
"Even though we had all known he was battling with cancer for some
time, he was such a wiry fighter, and of such an amazingly optimistic
nature, I think I assumed he would go on forever.
"[He] was one of the creators of the genre of heavy metal," May
continued. "I don't know if he invented the devil-horn salute, but he
was certainly the man who, more than ever, made it a universal symbol, a
worldwide salute of metal. ... He was universally loved in the
community of rock music and will be sorely missed."

The members of Iron Maiden called their longtime friend an
"incredibly gifted singer" and "a wonderfully warm, intelligent and
generous person" in a joint statement. "We played many shows together
over the years, and we will all miss him greatly. ... The world has lost
an irreplaceable talent and, first and foremost, one of the finest
human beings you could ever wish to meet."

Judas Priest offered a message of sympathy for Dio's widow,
Wendy: "We are filled with great sadness at the terrible news about our
friend Ronnie James Dio. Our condolences and love go to Wendy [Dio,
Ronnie's wife/manager] and Ronnie's family. ... Ronnie was a wonderful
man and will be sorely missed."

Look at it from the bright side, Wendy (his wife) didnt have to pay full price for a full size coffin

Behshad wrote:Look at it from the bright side, Wendy (his wife) didnt have to pay full price for a full size coffin

That's funny. Rude ... but funny. I'm not taking this well, though. It seems to not be sinking in. This really sucks. I am glad to see the accolades and respect from his peers. It's very well deserved. There aren't many better ... if any.

Dio was my first concert. I was fortunate enough to see him perform 8 times in person and I'm glad I went to see Heaven and Hell last year. It's great to see how well respected he was. The tributes are pouring in all over the place.

Please post any tributes you see folks, I would love to read them.
Thanks for the ones you've all ready placed here.

I know Saint John has always looked up to Dio......

GEEZER BUTLER On Passing Of RONNIE JAMES DIO - "I Have Never Seen So Many
Tributes From So Many Musicians And Fans, So Many Good Wishes, No Cynicism, Just
Pure Love And Appreciation For A Great Man"

Tuesday, May 18,
2010

Legendary BLACK SABBATH/HEAVEN & HELL bassist Geezer Butler has
offered the following thoughts on the passing of his bandmate and "soul mate"
RONNIE JAMES DIO (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, RAINBOW, ELF) who lost
his battle with stomach cancer on May 16th at 7:45 AM PST at the age of
67:

"It’s impossible to express in mere words the relationship Ronnie and
I, Wendy and my wife Gloria had. He was much more than a friend, fellow
musician, band mate. If I have a soul, then he is part of it. I truly believe
God, fate, destiny, whatever it’s called, brought us together again in 2006,
after not seeing each other for 14 years, to do one final tour, which turned
into 3 major tours and an album. We were having a blast together, enjoying each
other’s company more than we had ever done before, talking about maybe doing one
more album, when fate intervened again. We were planning on doing a 2 or 3 part
North American tour, after having toured South America and Europe in Spring
/Summer 2009, but on the first leg of the North American tour, Tony’s hand
ligaments were in a bad way, Vinny’s shoulder became dislocated, and Ronnie was
having terrible stomach pains. We decided to cut the tour, get healthy, and
carry on the following year. Tony and Vinny had successful procedures to fix
their ailments, but Ronnie’s stomach pains were worsening. I saw him at the Dio
Halloween party, but he wasn’t drinking, unusual for Ronnie who liked his
tipple. He was telling me he had made an appointment with a specialist, to see
what it was…..

Wednesday, May 12th

Wendy invited Gloria and I to
lunch in Santa Barbara. A few close friends of Ronnie and Wendy, Omar, Simon,
Paul, Tim, and Diana, had dropped by. Ronnie had no appetite whatsoever- the
disease and the chemotherapy were taking an immense toll. As usual, we talked
sports and had a laugh together- it would be the last time. That night, I had a
beautiful email from him, that I will treasure forever. I sent him an email
saying I’d see him during the following week.

Friday, May
14th

Wendy called to say she had taken Ronnie to hospital. The pain had
become unbearable. We got to the hospital around 2 p.m. The doctor eventually
sedated him. More and more friends were coming to visit- we took it in turns to
hold Ronnie’s hand, and whisper our thoughts to him. Wendy wouldn’t leave his
side- she stayed curled up on his bed the whole night. Gloria’s assistant, Debi,
kept her company. I emailed Tony to prepare him for bad news.

Saturday,
May 15th

There was no mistaking Ronnie’s room. There were around 25 to 30
friends outside his room. We knew the end was imminent. We all wanted to say our
goodbyes. It was a day filled with tears and reflection. In the evening, the
chaplain came, and we all gathered around Ronnie’s bed and prayed. Ronnie wasn’t
going easily. At 11 p.m., most of us left, leaving Wendy her privacy to say her
last farewell. The devastation was palpable.

Sunday, May 16th

7.46
a.m. As we were preparing to leave for the hospital, Gloria called Wendy to see
if she wanted a coffee or any breakfast- she broke the sad news. Ronnie had just
passed away.

Wendy Dio has been a true saint through all this. She has
been with Ronnie every step of the way. Her courage has amazed us all. Even as I
write, she is ensuring Ronnie has the finest send off possible. God bless you,
Wendel.

Most people who were there for those last days chose to keep
their thoughts private. I wanted to keep my thoughts private, too, but I’ve been
overwhelmed by emails, and requests from the media and fans for
comments.

I can truly say I’ve never known anyone to have such loyal,
loving friends, fans, and family as Ronnie. He really was a special person,
blessed with a unique voice and presence. He loved his fans - he would stay
meeting and talking to them until the early hours of the morning. One of my
fondest memories of him comes from last year, at the Sonisphere Festival,
Knebworth. He noticed my sister and her husband at the side of the stage. During
our opening song, he took the time to go over and hug them. Just a little thing
like that made him special to me. Of course his music will live on forever, as
will his influence. I have never seen so many tributes from so many musicians
and fans, so many good wishes, no cynicism, just pure love and appreciation for
a great man.

God bless you Ronald – thank you so much for the wonderful
memories."