As announced on his website, Ronnie Dio passed away this morning.
There were premature rumours about his death circulating yesterday, but it’s now confirmed he died early this morning, after a long battle with cancer.
The little man with the big voice, he was perhaps one of the greatest hard rock/metal singers of all time, fronting Rainbow, putting his own mark on Black Sabbath, and followed this with a lengthy and successful solo career. Few people have managed to produce all time classic albums with three completely different bands, but with “Rainbow Risingâ€, “Heaven and Hell†and “Holy Diverâ€, Dio is one of those few. He was a true legend, one of my biggest heroes in my formative years.
It’s worth noting that 90% of the Facebook updates in my timeline tonight are about Dio. That says something about how much he was loved.