It is with great sorrow that we announce the demise of heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio. The legendary vocalist who had replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath was said to be suffering from stomach cancer for a long time, which was the reason he passed away on 16 May, 7:45 am.

He was being treated at the Houston hospital, and had undergone his seventh chemotherapy recently, but still had hopes regarding a live performance. Earlier this month, Heaven and Hell had to cancel a summer tour, but Dio had this to say to his wife Wendy.

“Wendy, my doctors and I have worked so hard to make it happen for all of you, the ones we care so much about, that this setback could be devastating, but we will not let it be,” he said in a statement. “With your continued love and support, we … will carry on and thrive. There will be other tours, more music, more life and much more magic.”

Dio had started his career as vocalist of Ritchie Blackmore’s post-Deep Purple band Rainbow, and later replaced Ozzy Osbourne in the metal legends Black Sabbath, who with Dio were known as Heaven and Hell, which was the name of the first Sabbath album he was featured on, acclaimed as one of the best by fans and critics alike. He also had his own band, also called Dio, which was quite successful. His lyrics were mostly about the struggle between good and evil, such as in “Heaven and Hell” and “Neon Knights”. Dio was also famous for inventing the heavy metal “horns” as we know them, and shared the trivia regarding how he got it from his grandmother and it’s real meanings in the Christian context in the documentary “Metal, A Headbanger’s Journey”.

Without a doubt, this man will be sorely missed. R.I.P, Ronnie James Dio.

Ankit Baraskar