Negative Creep
Staff Sergeant
So long Ronnie, keep rocking on the other side
Ronnie James Dio: Black Sabbath Lead Vocalist Dies Of Cancer Aged 67 | Showbiz News | Sky News
Ronnie James Dio: Black Sabbath Lead Vocalist Dies Of Cancer Aged 67 | Showbiz News | Sky News
Black Sabbath Star Ronnie James Dio Dies
10:52am UK, Monday May 17, 2010
Lulu Sinclair, Sky News Online
Ronnie James Dio, the man who took over from Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer in Black Sabbath, has died five months after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Ronnie James Dio of Black Sabbath accepting an award earlier this year
Ronnie James Dio receives Best Vocalist award at a ceremony in LA earlier this year
Dio was known for his soaring vocals and a trademark dark stage persona.
His "devil horn" hand gesture was well known among heavy metal fans.
"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7.45am 16th May," the 67-year-old's widow Wendy wrote on his website.
"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 ... Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."
Dio - born Ronald James Padavona in Portsmouth, New Hampshire - grew up in Cortland, New York, and played in rockabilly bands during the 1950s.
His first big break came in 1975 when he joined Rainbow, a group led by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.
Ronnie James Dio of Black Sabbath
Ronnie James Dio gives his trademark gesture during a concert in Montreux
He moved over to Black Sabbath after Osbourne was ousted in 1979.
Dio recorded three albums with the band before leaving, reportedly complaining there were not enough photos of him in the artwork for the group's 1982 concert album "Live Evil".
After a successful stint at the helm of his own band, Dio, the rocker briefly rejoined Black Sabbath a decade later, by which time the group had lost most of its original members.
But most of the Black Sabbath line-up reunited in 2006 as Heaven Hell - including Dio, for his third stint with the band - taking its name from the title of the first album Dio recorded with them.
The group toured and released a studio album last year.
Dio revealed last November that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer, and would immediately start treatment.
Two months ago, the future looked more hopeful, with reports that the main tumor had shrunk, and visits to his cancer clinic in Houston had been cut.