In Memoriam: Ronnie James Dio July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010

May 17, 2010

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There will be a Public Memorial Service for Ronnie James Dio on Sunday, May 30th at 2:00 PM at The Hall Of Liberty located at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068.

This will be a celebration of the life and music of Ronnie James Dio and is open to all of his friends and fans from around the world.

Wendy Dio has requested in lieu of sending flowers, please make a donation to the Ronnie James Dio "STAND UP AND SHOUT CANCER FUND." Please send your donations to the Niji Entertainment Group, 12400 Ventura Blvd. #624, Studio City, CA 91604 USA. From all of us at Niji Entertainment Group, we thank you! For those that want to use Paypal, a link will be set up.

For all the latest news, biography, and discography of Dio please visit his official website: www.ronniejamesdio.com and for the latest memorial info check here:  Dio on Facebook

Ronnie has enriched and affected so many lives. We are heart sick, the world over, in our grief of losing him but know that in death his spirit is free. He was a true gentleman with a loving and generous soul. Words simply can't capture the range of emotions we feel but we take comfort and solace in the treasure trove of amazing songs that he has left with us.  I am still in awe of his extraordinary talent and genius. Most importantly, the lessons he taught us through his music, about living and dying in most noble ways, will live on for eternity. You have our love Ronnie!  

I'm a wheel, I'm a wheel
I can roll, I can feel
And you can't stop me turning

Cause I'm the sun, I'm the sun
I can move, I can run
But you'll never stop me burning

Come down with fire
Lift my spirit higher
Someone's screaming my name
Come and make me holy again

I'm the man on the silver mountain
I'm the man on the silver mountain

I'm the day, I'm the day
I can show you the way
And look, I'm right beside you

I'm the night, I'm the night
I'm the dark and the light
With eyes that see inside you .                                                                                                     M.J.


There just simply aren't any words that can do justice to a man who leaves behind a legacy of metal, from Rainbow to the band bearing his namesake to being a vocalist in Black Sabbath (post-Ozzy) and most recently, fronting Heaven and Hell, which was Black Sabbath plus RJD on vocals. Most people couldn't even begin to dream about accomplishing what Dio did in his sixty-seven years on this planet, and when you throw in the fact that he was willing to poke fun at himself, as he made an appearance in the Tenacious D movie "Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny," the accomplishments are even more amazing.

As we mourn the loss of a true metal legend, the following words should be taken to heart for all: Long live Rock N' Roll!                                                                                          Peter


It's hard for me to express the loss of Ronnie James Dio. He is my all-time favorite Metal personality. I will swear up and down that he was the best Black Sabbath vocalist (yes I own material featuring Osbourne, Martin, Gillian and Hughes). He never released a bad solo album (I'll never understand the grumbles over "Angry Machines") and Rainbow was an empty shell without him. The formation of Heaven and Hell was perhaps the biggest gift ever for me. He was larger than life on stage and one of the best live performers I have ever seen. I fully expected him to have a speedy recovery and hopefully within a few years I'd have another Heaven and Hell disc and even the sequel to "Magica." I expected a lot from Dio and he always delivered. Always exceeding my expectations.

I've never expected the untimely passing of my favorite vocalist. I've been listening to Ronnie James Dio since I was a child. I remember hearing "Man on the Silver Mountain" on the radio and my father explaining it was a song from a band he dug when he was in college. It was one of the first truly heavy songs I had ever heard. I've followed Dio ever since, even seeing him live several times.

Dio is part of my life. My wife really doesn't care for Metal, but she loved Dio too. She glady went with me to see Heaven and Hell on two occasions. If we were going on a road trip, she'd always request I bring something from Dio. All through college my friends and I would jam Dio songs. My jean jacket has a "Holy Diver" back patch. I lost track of Queensrÿche years ago, but picked up "Operation: Mindcrime II" simply because Dio was a guest. I remember buying "Killing the Dragon" the day it was released to ensure I'd get the limited edition and waiting in line to buy Heaven and Hell tickets for their first US tour. I can't imagine not having an album with Ronnie James Dio within my reach.

Dio gave us timeless, treasured gifts with each performance. Metal will not be the same without him. But it wouldn't be what it is today if it were not for him. Dio is a distinguished professional, a true gentleman, Metal royalty, and a loveable legend. He was an inspiration, an entertainer and a true friend to all of us. I never met Dio, nor spoke with him. He was always there for me with his music, no matter the mood or the moment.

I will miss him greatly. I wish I could have personally thanked him for his music, his effort, his honesty, his humility and his dedication. Dio defines Metal for me. I hope he's breaking into Heaven as I type this.

Thank you Ronnie James Dio.                                                                                    Rottenbucher


One of our Elders has passed on...

How do you know, when something has become a major cultural movement, has influence? Popularity? Album sales? Sadly no, it`s when the innovators of the movement start to leave the mortal coil. And now, one of the true trailblazers of metal has gone, and in many ways, the entire world will mourn Ronnie James Dio`s passing.

Even if you are like I am, and not very familiar with his work, there is no way what so ever you can deny his impact on heavy metal. I for one will always remember him as being the one who popularized the "devil horns" sign so many metal heads throw into the air at concerts. There are many more things, but only so much space. So, no matter how lackluster or devoted a fan you are, you can at least recognize "Rainbow in the Dark" or "Holy Diver" when you hear it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that Dio`s music was magical and pretty inspiring to pretty much the entire industry that has grown around metal music. And every metalhead, young and old should honor his contributions and career (which lasted as long or longer than most musicians who look up to him have been alive) whether they listen to his music or not. Respect your elders and value their knowledge and wisdom.

One thing I feel comfortable saying for sure is this: Dio was metal till the end, and this is something we should all emulate as part of his legacy. Fan and non-fan alike.           Kesh


It was 1980 and Ozzy Osbourne had been relieved of his Black Sabbath duties one year earlier. I was introduced by my long-departed best friend to the wonderful "Heaven and Hell" album cover with the angels smoking and playing cards, and after hearing "Neon Knights" for the first time my impressionable psyche was irreparably dented for life! I was drafted into the Ronnie Dio army.

Ronnie James Dio was not just a metal musician; for those of us that have been devoted disciples for decades he was the voice we went to when castles, rainbows and dragons were the saving grace of the day. His amazing talent with imagery was just one of his many charms both as a musician and a human being. From his beginnings with Ronnie Dio and the Prophets (an early stab at Top-40) to Elf, the stripped-down rock outfit of the early 70's, his path was not only set, it was being paved in gold as he went along!

His venture into Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow in 1975 was one of rock music's greatest collaborations, spawning three amazing albums in its wake in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Rainbow Rising and Long Live Rock 'n Roll. The sheer brilliance and resonance of these records can only be described as legendary and necessary. With two powerful personalities like Ronnie's and Blackmore's assuming top-billing in the band the union was destined to be short-lived, but it marked an indelible stamp on rock music's grand guest book. When Ronnie shouted "Long live rock 'n roll" you not only believed it, you embraced it as a lifestyle and personal slogan!

With the Sabbath years sparking decades-old heated debates over "Ozzy vs. Dio" he remained ever-prominent in the Sabbath lineage, reuniting with Geezer Bulter, Tony Iommi, Vinnie Appice and Bill Ward twice over the storied career. The back catalog is a lesson in heavy metal that no rock encyclopedia should ever dismiss or diminish; where Ozzy's Black Sabbath miserably left off, Mr. Dio's begun anew and created some of the better metal music of the 80's, adding new life and energy to a fading Birmingham quartet bent on self-destruction and extinction. The last entry in the Sabbath book, under the moniker of "Heaven and Hell", was last year's The Devil You Know which was just as vital and important as any Ronnie Dio undertaking. It's a fitting close to a wonderful bookmark. I am so glad I got to see the Sabbath/Dio lineup three times - I count myself fortunate.

What Ronnie Dio touched, Ronnie Dio forever marked with those ominous horns, the old Sicilian hand gesture for warding off the evil eye, now a staple and virtual prerequisite for all of heavy metal. His solo career, which I was lucky enough to catch live from Holy Diver to Lock Up the Wolves, was a further dent in the consciousness of metal fans worldwide. The Dio solo catalog is one filled with fantastical imagery and amazingly resilient topical ventures; not one to languish in the mundane or trivial, Mr. Dio was the picture of absolute metal, much like Rob Halford or the aforementioned Ozzy Osbourne. His mark is made for all time and his loss is one of great tragedy, running as deep as the oldest Minnesota well.

On an even more personal note, I am a cancer survivor for close to seventeen years and I know well what Mr. Dio went through. I sit here with tears welling up in my eyes because another part of me has died due to cancer and I'm damn angry! I'm angry that DIO, the man, the mystery, the legend, has left us too early due to a horrible disease in the body we can't control. As a musician I feel his loss on my own works and lyrics. As a man, I am brokenhearted that a man I met only once briefly had to spend his remaining days in pain and probable fear. As a fan, I am weeping in spite of myself and because I loved what this man represented to me: honest, unashamed love and pride for what I have always called the "thinking person's music". He truly was a musician for the people, and we were his extended family.

The lifestyle and music we chose so many years ago is forever going to be a part of each of our spirits and personalities right up to our own eventual end. The music that might have made us persona non Grata in our youth has opened to us a world of like-minded friends, families and musicians we can proudly call friends. For this small part of who we are, each of us, all of us, I thank you Mr. Ronald "Dio" Padavona for your years of love for us and sharing your talents with a world certainly far better for having known you and called you "friend".                                                                                                 Chris

BLOG ARCHIVE HERE

M.J.

TO THE TOP

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.

                          Love,
                     Wendy Dio

Ronnie James Dio
July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010

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