Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67.
Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J., with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell.
His death comes just a day after rumors of his death circulated around the web. Wendy Dio denied those rumors yesterday then posted on Dio’s website today about his passing this morning.
While Dio is most famous for his roles in both Rainbow and Black Sabbath, not many people know that Ronnie James Dio is also the responsible for popularizing the metal sign. Let’s all salute Ronnie James with the devil’s horns as we say goodbye.
