More Dio Tributes

Biff Byford (Saxon):

“Today I heard my friend Ronnie Dio has lost his battle.

“It is a great loss to us all.

“I first met Ronnie in the early Eighties when we played with Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult, the infamous ‘Black and Blue’ tour.

“I first heard him sing on The Butterfly Ball and from that moment I understood what great singing was all about; he was at the top of his game from then on.

“His voice was always powerful and soaring; his phrasing was uniquely his, copied by many but never bettered.

“I will miss him as we all will.

“The last time we met was in Finland last year, both bands stranded in an airport with flight delays. What do you do?! Go to the bar, get drunk and tell rock and roll stories.

“He told great stories.

“Deepest condolences to his family.

“Somewhere in the night a candle burns for you

“To absent friends.”

Jeff Waters (Annihilator):

“Ronnie was a super-nice person, uniquely talented and has left us all with great music. In a way, it will strange to live and work in a world and business where Ronnie James Dio is no longer on tour, at the festivals, putting out his music.

“You will never be forgotten and will live on in the music of so many others.

“Stand up and shout.”

Random AKA Mega Ran:

“Still speechless.. wow.. R.I.P to the greatest voice in metal. Now there truly is a Rainbow in the Dark.”

Lemmy (Motorhead):

“I’m truly upset, especially since he seemed to be rallying at the Golden Gods show.

“Bon Voyage, Ronnie. Rest in peace.

“I’m devastated”

Corye Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour):

“One of the strongest, purist and consistent singers of all time. Ronnie sang like he lived — all out, from the heart, with so much honesty and joy. He was a great man with a smile and a handshake for fans and peers alike. He spoke his mind and stood his ground for decades. I will miss him dearly.”

Kerry King (Slayer):

“Few people have had the ability to carry a song like Dio, literally demanding your attention as he effortlessly recreated live the amazing things he did on record, it’s odd how things get taken from you quickly…I just saw him a month ago. I know I was lucky to have known Ronnie. One of the nicest guys in the business, without a doubt. He will be hugely missed.”

Duff McKagan (ex Guns n’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Loaded, Jane’s Addiction):

“My part in this ‘summer music playlist’ it is going to be a touch bittersweet as it turns out.

“Last weekend, Ronnie James Dio succumbed to his battle with stomach cancer. From what I understand, Ronnie fought like a warrior to the end.
“I was supposed to pick a new-ish song for this list, but when it comes to rocking out in the summertime, sometimes you just got to go a little bit old-damn-school.

“Last In Line is an ass-kicker right up there with anything, punk, rock, and/or metal, and us rockers owe a bit of reverence to this great man.

“R.I.P., RJD!”

Steve Vai:

“Dio was a shining light of rock/metal authenticity. He was a completely dedicated artist with massive talent. It’s likely that his vital contributions will continue to inspire well into the future. He is now legend. But more than all this, Ronnie was a really cool guy. I mean reeeally cool.

“God bless you, brutha.”

Gus G. (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind, ex Dream Evil):

“On the night of May 16th, I was shocked to read the news. Ronnie James Dio, a true rock giant, is no longer with us.

“My condolences go out to his family and close ones and my thoughts are with you.

“His music with Dio, Black Sabbath and Rainbow has had a huge impact on me and Firewind‘s sound. One of the bands I used to play in also got its name from one of his songs — that was Dream Evil.

“While I never had the chance to meet him, Firewind played a festival with Heaven & Hell in 2009 and I got to see him perform. No doubt, it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and I was amazed by his energy and how spot-on all his notes were.

“His music will continue to inspire and his legacy will live on forever.

“Thank you for your magic, Ronnie James Dio.”

Ozzy Osbourne:

“I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Ronnie James Dio. Metal has truly lost one of its greatest voices. My heart goes out to his family and to his many fans.

“Love and respect.”

Joey Belladonna (Anthrax):

“Ronnie was a big inspiration, influence and dear friend of mine. He was a true gentleman and kind hearted individual. He always would go out of his way to make you feel welcome and important. Without a doubt he was one of the best, top notch and a class act. I will truly miss him.”

Henry Rollins:

“Backstage at the venue. Listening to Rainbow, tonight’s walk-in CD is burning away in my laptop. All Dio all night.

“Ronnie James Dio, the great vocalist of Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell passed away Sunday morning.

“What a loss.

“I have been getting mail all afternoon about it.

“There was an Internet rumor of his passing and it was great to hear that it wasn’t true. I came back from the gym a few hours ago and Angel, our merch man, told me that it was indeed true.

“What a voice, what a loss.

“Dio’s passing made me think of my old bandmates in Black Flag as we used to listen to those records quite a bit.

“Damn, at least he left some amazing records behind.

“The metal world is stunned, I am sure.

“Ronnie James Dio, one of the greatest singers ever.”

Even More Comments On Dio’s Death

Paulo Gregoletto (Trivium):

Dio defies any sort of genre-fication, he was metal before the word even was used to describe the music we all worship as religion. There may never be a voice as true and pure in metal ever again, in fact in my opinion there surely won’t be. It is sad to see someone as legendary as Dio pass away, but I think one positive that can be seen out of this sad time is the fact that he remained active through his entire career, through trends with in the genre he helped create, right until the day he died.

I was lucky to have seen Dio many years back, one of my first concerts actually. It was Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen and Doro, all in one night at a local club in Boynton Beach, FL. Up until that point, my heavy metal concerts where few and far between (mostly death metal shows at a place called the Culture Room.) This entire show blew my mind, the vocals and music of all these bands was top notch. But Dio’s show topped them all, it was an actual show! Before that I was blown away by 4-5 dudes playing their instruments very loud and banging their heads. Dio was a totally different experience, it was literally like he was from another time. Putting on arena shows no matter what the venue, he was second to none and his voice was unreal.

Fast forward about 7-8 years to Loud Park Festival in Tokyo, Japan. Heaven and Hell are headlining, and we are lucky to not only be a part of the festival, but to be supporting them for three extra shows. It’s unreal, just us and them on one stage. All four members of Heaven and Hell are practically god’s. They made metal what it is, Metallica are just one of millions of pupils that graduated from the school they created. We really weren’t worthy to be on this bill, but for whatever reasons we were allowed to be apart of these three amazing nights. We had played with Dio once previously on a small festival in Belgium. He was playing the entire Holy Driver album start to finish, that in itself was a massive check off of my “Thing’s to Witness/Hear/Do Before I die List.” We met him briefly at this show, and he was so nice to us!! Down to earth, extremely well spoken, and very kind to anyone that wanted to share a few moments with him. This had a major impact on me personally, seeing how he carried himself around the festival. He had star power, but wielded it were it matter most, on stage. Which brings us back to Loud Park and the side shows that we played. Heaven and Hell owned these nights, it wasn’t even about us trying to go out and think we could even compare to a band this powerful. All I wanted to do was take in every moment playing with a band of this caliber and just being in the presence of greatness. These shows were amazing for us, the crowds were very gracious and respectful even if we were holding up Heaven and Hell from coming on for forty minutes. After we finished, we had the chance to meet Dio and thank him for the chance to play before them. He gave us some kind words of encouragement and reciprocated the thanks to us for being on the shows as well.

We knew we were lucky to apart of those shows and have the chance to meet Dio, yet nothing like the passing of someone as important to music as he was can make you realize just how lucky you truly are to have those moments. The lesson I learned for these experiences and his music was to be true to yourself and your music, and to appreciate everything and everyone that has helped get you to where you are at.

Thank you Dio for the inspiration, REST IN PEACE!

Matt Heafy (Trivium):

Trivium had the privilege of meeting Dio while touring with Heaven and Hell in Japan in 2007. We were just happy to be on the shows and didn’t expect to spend any time with any of the guys in Heaven & Hell. Every single night of that tour Heaven & Hell blew our minds; we were fans in awe of how good they were. They had it all and to watch a group of musicians that deep into their careers so absolutely on top of their game like that was inspiring.

One night after a show in Nagoya, I was able to pop in real quick to say “hey” to Dio in his dressing room. I’ve been able to meet many heroes of mine in my life, but few have made impression on me like Ronnie James. He greeted me not as a support band member, but he welcomed me as a fellow musician and performer. He gave me a hug, invited a couple of us into his room where we all sat and talked and drank wine together. I remember our conversation crystal clear to this day. I told him how I met Bruce Dickinson on his BBC radio show and was asking Bruce about vocals and vocal techniques, and I shared with Dio that Bruce felt that I had started to develop my own vocal style and with work someday would further develop a stylistic similarity to Dio. Dio smiled and chatted about how he knew that Bruce was a fan of his voice, and from there we were able to just relax and talk shop about vocals and singing. Although it was a quick visit, Ronnie made me feel at home and was a really sweet dude. He gave us props, we finished our wine, we hugged and said “See ya tomorrow.” It was amazing that I received vocal coaching from quite possibly the greatest metal voice of all time. I am truly grateful for the time he gave me and his personal insight into our shared craft. For that I will always be thankful.

King Diamond:

“It’s with a heavy heart that I pay my respects to Ronnie James Dio .

“What an amazing singer and entertainer.

“Throughout my career, he has always been in my top 10 list of vocalists. The mystery and emotion in his vocal style always lured me in for more.

“Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure to meet him in person, but, fortunately, I did have the extreme pleasure of experiencing his uncanny frontmanship in concert so many times I can’t even count it. I saw him with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and almost had one of my wishes fulfilled when Heaven & Hell asked King Diamond to go on tour with them in the USA last year. Unfortunately, my back problems prevented that dream from coming true.

“I always had the highest respect for him and he will forever have his music playing in my home.

“My deepest sympathy goes out toRonnie’s family.

“I wish you a safe journey to the other side.”

Brian May(Queen):

“It’s a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone. Even though we had all known he was battling with cancer for some time, he was such a wiry fighter, and of such an amazingly optimistic nature, I think I assumed he would go on forever.

“Well, he fought to the very end… was gearing up to go back out on tour.

“I know this will be a very hard blow for my friend Tony Iommi.

“When I last saw Ronnie in Los Angeles, he was as full of life and positivity as anybody I’ve ever known .. and sang up a storm with Heaven & Hell in the Universal Amphitheatre.

“In my opinion, Ronnie was one of the creators of the genre of heavy metal. I’m not an expert on his work — there are many people much more knowledgeable than me… but our paths crossed many times over the years, and I had clear glimpses of his unique spirit and personality. He was in many ways the antithesis of the current mould of TV-bred singers. He had no apparent desire for fame, in the sense that so many “X-Factor” contestants seem to. He was not a TV face, a ‘celebrity.’ He just loved doing what he did. So, to his millions of fans, there was an unquestionable feeling of reality to his persona, his songwriting, and his performances. His lyric-writing was very distinctive, and set a style in heavy metal which has influenced many bands over the years. To me, it was as if his mind operated in layers — on the surface, a hard-working honest singer, with a great humanity and strong sense of humour — and underneath, in the world of his songs, his subconscious seemed to be populated by hobgoblins of all kinds, and palpable evil forever on the march. His lyrics, dark and mysterious, in tune with the metal ethos, always represented the sword of goodness in triumph over evil.

“I don’t know if he invented the devil-horn salute, but he was certainly the man who, more than ever, made it a universal symbol, a worldwide salute of metal.

“He was universally loved in the community of rock music, and will be sorely missed.”

Joey Vera (Armored Saint, ex Anthrax):

“Ronnie James Dio.

“His name shall be part of the very definition of the term heavy metal.

“All of us in this community owe a big part to him as he helped shape our entire genre. And he did it with complete originality and sincerity. He is the real deal.

“By now you’ve read much about him and how every person who’d had the pleasure of meeting the man use the words ‘kind,’ ‘nice,’ ‘humble’ and so on. I can tell you that these descriptions are truly accurate.

“I had the honor of being on tour with Dio on two occasions. Once on his Magica tour in 2001 while I was in Armored Saint and then later in 2004 while I was touring with Anthrax. I would watch Ronnie every night side stage and I was continuously blown away by his high level of performance. I must have seen over 40 shows from this vantage point and I never, ever saw or heard a single flaw. You always knew he was a great singer but It was then that I was convinced that he was a gift to us from some other place. Then there’s all the times I saw him with Sabbath.

“I can’t even go on…

“When you have the privilege of meeting someone like Ronnie — an idol, a legend — you almost expect a person like this to be overly confident, cocky, and they deserve to be, really. But Ronnie was the complete opposite. He really was the most humble, sincere and kind person you’d ever meet. He would always find time to stop in his tracks and say a few words to you. He was so down to earth and generous.

“Through his humility he’s taught us all that a man is not measured by the size of his wallet, or trophy collection, but instead by the size of his heart.

“I myself am glad that he chose the profession of singing because even though his body has been taken from us, his voice will stay here for all eternity.

“We’re all trying really hard here, but Ronnie, we can’t thank you enough.”

Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth):

“I saw the news last night and I hated them.

“Ronnie James Dio is gone…. I love him almost like a family member, and I feel empty and lonely knowing he’s not around anymore. He sits on my wall as he has since my family moved in here. Can’t bring myself to hear him sing right now, even though I think it might be comforting if I did.

“I was fortunate enough to meet him and share a few drinks with him once, and it’s a memory I will treasure to the end of my days. He blew my mind, quite honestly.

“Thank you, Ronnie James Dio, for everything!

“Our collective condolences goes out to his familes and friends and the musicians that were fortunate enough to work with him.

“I was thinking about this for quite some time, and I think we can say for sure that even if he was taken from us too soon (100 years from now would’ve been to soon), I’m sure he felt happy with his life and what he had achieved. But it hurts, though, it really fucking hurts…. I can’t stop thinking about it.

“There is a massive hole in my heart.

“Love you, Ronnie. Rest in peace.

“Your fan, Mikael Akerfeldt”

More Tributes To Dio

Iron Maiden:

“It is with huge sadness we hear that Ronnie has lost his battle against stomach cancer, and our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Wendy and family at this terrible time.  From his earlier years in Elf, Black Sabbath and Dio, right through to his most recent days fronting Heaven and Hell, Ronnie, time and again, proved his genius as a frontman, always giving his all to his fans and his music. Ronnie was not only an incredibly gifted singer but also a wonderfully warm, intelligent and generous person and this shone through both on and off stage leaving a positive mark on everyone he came into contact with. A longstanding friend of Maiden, we played many shows together over the years and we will all miss him greatly.

The world has lost an irreplaceable talent and, first and foremost,  one of the finest human beings you could ever wish to meet.

Steve, Bruce, Adrian, Dave, Janick, Nicko and Rod”

Twisted Sister:

“The members of Twisted Sister, along with millions of metal fans around the world, mourn the death of our friend Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie not only was a giant in the worldwide metal scene, but he was also one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Beginning in 1983 when we first toured with Ronnie in Canada, and continuing over the last seven years when we played dozens of festivals around the world, Ronnie was one of the most supportive and gracious members of the music community.”

Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell):

“Yesterday 16th May my dear, dear friend Ronnie James Dio passed away at 7.45am LA time. I’ve been in total shock I just can’t believe he’s gone. Ronnie was one of the nicest people you could ever meet, we had some fantastic times together. Ronnie loved what he did, making music and performing on stage. He loved his fans so much. He was a kind man and would put himself out to help others. I can honestly say it’s truly been an honor to play at his side for all these years, his music will live on forever. Our thoughts are with Wendy Dio who stood by Ronnie until the end, he loved her very much. The man with the magic voice is a star amongst stars, a true professional. I’ll miss you so much my dear friend.”

Stars Pay Tribute To Dio

Some of the biggest names is rock and metal have commented on the tragic passing of Ronnie James Dio.

Gary Holt (Exodus):

“What more can be said about Ronnie that hasn’t been said by so many others. He was the kindest, most humble metal god I’ve ever had the pleasure and honor of touring with.

“I first met him at Foundations Forum about two to three weeks before our tour with them during the Dehumanizer tour, for about ten minutes while he waited outside for his cab. I introduced myself, said it was an all time honor to meet and tour with him and said see you soon. Fast forward to the first day of the tour, and he sees me and says, ‘How are you doing, Gary?’ I would not have been offended if he never knew my name the whole tour, but he remembered it from a ten-minute chat around three weeks earlier.

“We had many golden moments hanging out with him, while he allowed me to relentlessly badger him for stories about Richie Blackmore and the time spent singing for my favorite band, Rainbow.

“R.I.P. Your impact on me won’t ever be forgotten.”

Nikki Sixx (Motley crue):

“Ronnie was one of the kindest souls I have ever met and his talent was beyond inspirational to so many of us. I still have this image of him standing on stage in front of 100,000 belting out Man on the Silver Mountain and remember the shivers it sent up my spine. He will be missed by all of us.”

Robb Flynn (Machine Head)

“Dio was a true gentleman.

“Machine Head had the opportunity to open for Heaven & Hell in May of 2007, and having never met or toured with Ronnie James Dio, it was a HUGE honor for all of us.

“On the first night of the tour in Phoenix, Arizona we celebrated, uh, quite heavily, and though the Dio dressing was heavily fortified with an army of security, I somehow managed to bullshit my way in and say hello. He had no idea who I was, but acted like we were old friends. After that, he always made a point to poke his head in our dressing room and say ‘hi,’ or give Dave shit about ‘his San Antonio Spurs choking,’ or sometimes just to give us a $100-dollar bottle of wine they were going leave in their dressing room. All class.

“He was a powerhouse singer. Incredible tone, and grit. His voice onstage was FUCKING LOUD!! Shockingly loud!! We were lucky enough to watch from side stage almost nightly, and all of us were blown away by how loud his voice was.

“His memory was staggering. He remembered my wife’s name almost a year later, after only a brief one-minute introduction, and it charmed her to no end. He remembered my name a year after touring with him, in a crowd of people, without missing a beat, and asked how my kids were and kissed me on both cheeks when we said goodbye. I turned to my friend and was like, ‘Dude, Dio just remembered my name and kissed me on the cheek, fuckin’ High 5!!’

“When my parents moved to Fremont, California as I began the seventh grade, it was a pretty lonely time for me. I became friends with a girl named Lori Kibby who played me the first heavy metal record I would ever hear. It was Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell. It terrified me, enthralled me, captured me entirely. The imagery, the name, the title, it made me want to listen over and over and over again, in particular the songs Heaven And Hell, Children Of The Sea and Die Young. My first garage band, (the awesomely-named Inquisitor) covered Stand Up And Shout.

“Would I have found metal without him? Maybe. But man, I feel so very fortunate to have had Ronnie James Dio as my first guide into the awesome world of metal.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you’ve done for music, Ronnie.

“Horns.”

David Ellefson (Megadeth)

“Of course our bright beam from the tour’s glow was dimmed today when we learned of the passing of Ronnie James Dio. He was truly one of the ‘good guys’ in this business and a consummate pro, someone we can all take a que and learn from. We are all fans of his and he did many great things for Megadeth and its members, starting starting as far back as his Dream Evil North American tour in which we were the support band during the So Far, So Good… So What tour. . . I’m very thankful to have gotten to know and tour with him in both Megadeth and with Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens. Wendy Dio looked after Ripper’s European tour where we played several shows with Heaven & Hell and we got to have many good moments with Ronnie during that tour. He is missed by us all.

“Our prayers go out to him and his family at this time.”

Shawn Drover (Megadeth)

“I am at an absolute loss right now upon hearing that Ronnie has passed away. I had the pleasure of touring both Canada and America in 2007 when Megadeth toured with “Heaven and Hell” (Black Sabbath in my eyes) and I swear to you he is 1 of the nicest human beings I have ever met, period. Many a night on that tour, Glen and myself would have amazing conversation’s with Ronnie about his career, etc. fully knowing he had probably told these stories 10,000 times to people and yet he answered every question I had with a big smile. I can recall so many times making eye contact with Glen sharing the exact same thought – “Dude, I can’t believe we are hanging with RONNIE JAMES DIO!!!!!” If you are lucky enough in your lifetime to actually meet 1 of your idols (let alone tour with them) and they turn out to be even nicer than you could have envisioned, that is something you would truly treasure. Lucky for me, I will cherish those memories forever……………….”

Lars Ulrich (Metallica)

“Dear Ronnie,

“I just got off stage in Zagreb. I was met with the news that you’ve passed on. I’m kind of in shock, but I wanted you to know that you were one of the main reasons I made it onto that stage to begin with.

“When I first saw you in Elf, opening for Deep Purple in 1975, I was completely blown away by the power in your voice, your presence on stage, your confidence, and the ease with which you seemed to connect to 6,000 Danish people and one starry-eyed 11-year-old, most of whom were not familiar with Elf‘s music. The following year, I was so psyched when I heard the results of you joining forces with my favorite guitar player. You guys sounded so right for each other and I instantly became Rainbow’s #1 fan in Denmark.

“In the fall of 1976, when you played your first show in Copenhagen, I was literally in the front row and the couple of times we made eye contact you made me feel like the most important person in the world. The news that you guys were staying in town on your day off somehow embedded itself in my brain and I made the pilgrimage to the Plaza Hotel to see if I could somehow grab a picture, an autograph, a moment, anything. A few hours later you came out and were so kind and caring… pictures, autographs and a couple minutes of casual banter. I was on top of the world, inspired and ready for anything. Rainbow came to Copenhagen a couple more times over the next few years and each time you guys blew my mind, and for a good three years were my absolute favorite band on this planet.

“Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to run into you a half dozen times or so and each time you were as kind, caring and gracious as you were in 1976 outside the hotel.

“When we finally got a chance to play together in Austria in 2007, even though I may not have let on, I was literally transformed back to that little snot-nosed kid who you met and inspired 31 years earlier and it was such a fucking honor and a dream come true to share a stage with you and the rest of the legends in Heaven & Hell.

“A couple of weeks ago when I heard that you were not going to be able to make it to the Sonisphere shows that we would be sharing this June, I wanted to call you and let you know that I was thinking of you and wish you well, but I kind of pussied out, thinking the last thing you needed in your recovery was feeling obligated to take a phone call from a Danish drummer/fan boy. I wish I’d made that call.

“We will miss you immensely on the dates, and we will be thinking of you with great admiration and affection during that run. It seemed so right to have you out on tour with the so-called ‘Big Four’ since you obviously were one of the main reasons that the four bands even exist.

“Your ears will definitely be burning during those two weeks because all of us will be talking, reminiscing and sharing stories about how knowing you has made our lives that much better.

“Ronnie, your voice impacted and empowered me, your music inspired and influenced me, and your kindness touched and moved me. Thank you.

“Much love.”

Richie Blackmore (Former Deep Purple, Rainbow)

“Ronnie had a unique and wonderful voice. He will be sadly missed in the rock and roll world.”

KISS

“We mourn the tragic passing of the great Ronnie James Dio. In addition to his powerhouse vocal ability, Ronnie was a true gentleman who always emanated great warmth and friendship to us and everyone around him. We will miss him.”

Judas Priest

“We are filled with great sadness at the terrible news about our friend Ronnie James Dio.

“Our condolences and love go to Wendy and Ronnie’s family.

“Ronnie was a wonderful man and will be sorely missed.”

Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)

“Rest in peace, Ronnie James Dio… one of the greatest of all time.

“Looks like Dime, Randy, Cliff and Bonzo just scored the ultimate singer.

“This is one of the saddest days in metal ever.”

Also, Andy Copping, organiser of the UK’s Download festival, has announced that the second stage will be renamed the Ronnie James Dio Stage in his memory.