The legendary, devil horn saluting Ronnie James Dio died yesterday in Houston from stomach cancer. He was 67.
Blessed with one of the great hard rock voices, his C.V. included Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, his own outfit Dio and most recently Heaven And Hell who had been due in Ireland this summer to support Iron Maiden.
The tributes have been pouring in with Billy Corgan tweeting: “Ronnie was a true gentleman, and obviously one of the best rock singers there will ever be. What a sad loss. I only got to meet him once and I can honestly say he was the nicest person I have ever met in music.”
Those sentiments are echoed by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich who says: "Ronnie, your voice impacted and empowered me, your music inspired and influenced me, and your kindness touched and moved me. Thank you,” and Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French who adds: "He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match it. He was the nicest, classiest person you would ever want to meet."