Ronnie James Dio dead at 67, I was thinking about playing Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow quite a bit last night. One of those connections I guess.

This one literally hits home for me. RJD grew up and honed his chops in clubs around Syracuse and central NY state. R.I.P. Ronnie, one of the most influential voices in metal and so much more. A genuinely nice guy.

Oh no... WHY?! :'(

He definitely had distinctive style and voice. As a singer or hard rock or metal, his voice was strong and to the point. Many regulars around here know how often I listen to Holy Diver and Mob Rules. Just such great music on those two records.
Another page from yesterday is torn from the book.

And thanks for the music, Ronnie.

Awesome singer, RIP Ronnie.

He was a great singer. I've seen him with Sabbath and as a solo artist. I remember seeing him in '85 or '86 with other metal acts such as Megadeath in Milwaukee. I remember that he was not the main act; maybe 3 or 4 down the list. He stole the show without a doubt. He always seemed to be a gracious artist as well; loved the fans and truly loved singing.

RIP RJD

I saw him twice in the 80's, Holy Diver Tour and Last in Line Tour, both shows were awesome and I consider Holy Diver to be one of the top five metal albums of all time. Simply a great singer and an incredible front man! I am very saddened to hear this news, I was looking forward to the new tour from Heaven and Hell and hopeful for a new album and his 100% recovery, last I heard he was doing pretty well, must have taken a turn for the worse rapidly, very sad.

RIP Ronnie, you and your music will be missed

Incredible singer, very sad news. R.I.P Ronnie.

This bites! This one hit me hard too. I love this man's work, and I really dig his attitude. I didn't even know he was ill. Shitty way to go too. Stomach cancer is one of the more painful forms of that horrific disease.

Found out this morning when I grabbed a copy of our local rag Gazette, and his obituary actually made the front page top corner. Sadly and maybe fittingly, it's sharing the same page with a headline about another one of these bible-thumping pieces of trash caught molesting young boys. Holy Diver for you, slimeball...

Hope the neighbors don't mind too much, but a Dio marathon's coming on tonight. Much as I enjoy Ozzy and that earliest Sabbath, my favorite stuff was 'Heaven And Hell', 'Mob Rules' and of course, 'Live Evil'. The live Heaven And Hell that saw release a couple years ago is really hot too. They had some good new material showcased on it, along with songs from those earlier classics.

Got the 'Stand Up And Shout' anthology going now, going into the Rainbow material. What a great body of work! Thanks for all of it Ronnie....you won't be forgotten!

A living legend has now turned into an immortal GOD, after he fronted 5 almighty bands: Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell and of course the best one, DIO. Long live rock 'n' roll!
Also, he is the one who popularized the almighty sign: .