RONNIE JAMES DIO

Ronnie James Dio, the epiphany of Metal music has died at the age of 67. Dio had announced last summer after finishing his tour in Atlantic City, New Jersey that he was battling stomach cancer. He was touring with the incarnation of Black Sabbath called Heaven and Hell. Dio whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal. In addition to his wife, Ronnie is survived by son Daniel, grandchildren Julie and Joey, and father Pat. Wendy Dio said that friends and family were able to say their goodbyes to her husband, and asked for the family to have a bit of privacy. She concluded by saying, "Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

Ronnie was born July 10, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His birth name was Ronald James Padavona. He was an only child and was raised as Catholic. His musical career in began in 1957. He was a musical legend in Heavy metal, hard rock, and blues-rock. He was not only a singer but also producer as well as wrote music. Dio had been a member of the following bands: The Vegas Kings who were also called Ronnie & The Rumblers or Ronnie And The Red Caps, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell. Dio is credited with popularizing the devil's horns hand gesture.

Dio was multi-talented and could sing and play four instruments: bass, guitar, keyboards and the trumpet. He even recorded several singles when he was young playing his trumpet. He rose to fame in 1975 as the first lead singer of Rainbow, the heavy metal band put together by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had just quit Deep Purple.Dio then replaced legendary vocalist Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980 with the highly acclaimed album "Heaven & Hell," considered by many critics to be one of the finest heavy-metal albums of all time. His on-again, off-again relationship with Black Sabbath caused a huge debate among fans as to which singer was the true essence of the band — a discussion that lasted until his death.

Dio had a successful solo career with his band, Dio, in between his three stints with Black Sabbath in 1980-82,1992, and 2007-2009. Dio was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood in 2007.

Many of his most memorable songs revolved around the struggle between good and evil, including his signature tune "Heaven & Hell." He drew heavily on medieval imagery in songs like "Neon Knights," "Killing The Dragon" and "Stargazer." His solo hits included "Rainbow In The Dark," "The Last In Line" and "Holy Diver."

"He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match it," said Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, whose band had toured with Dio since 1983, and was to do so again this summer at European rock festivals. "He was the nicest, classiest person you would ever want to meet." Ronnie organized an all-star charity event in 1986 called "Hear N Aid" to raise money for famine relief in Africa.