Ronnie James Dio and Mar (Photo from Mar Archives 2001)
On Sunday, May 16, 2010 we lost a hard rock/metal icon and an incredible vocalist. Ronnie James Dio, 67, (formerly of Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio, Heaven and Hell) died peacefully at 7:45am in a Los Angeles hospital from his battle with stomach cancer. Dio may have been small in stature but he had one of the biggest musical voices on the planet. He was a powerhouse and the ultimate frontman. He was also a heck of a nice guy! He will be dearly missed, but never forgotten. Dio’s tour manager and best friend Roger Summers told me: “All I can say is that in those 16 years that I have known Ronnie I never saw a person like him, humbled, nice and caring. He treated his entire crew like family. I just want to say that Ronnie and Wendy Dio changed my life in a positive way and showed me real friendship. Everybody who met Ronnie knows what I’m talking about. On Sunday a big part of my heart broke. He lives forever in our hearts.”
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