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 Rising”, “Heaven and Hell” and “Holy Diver”, 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.