As many of you already know, Ronnie James Dio passed away this morning of stomach cancer. Diagnosed in November of last year, his death, despite the severity of his illness, was a shock. While a diminutive man, he was so strong and powerful that despite my sadness of hearing about the cancer I really thought he would pull through.
I was fortunate to see Heaven and Hell play in 2008 and was really excited to finally see him sing live. Anyone who knows anything about metal and metal singers, knows that Dio slayed. His voice was operatic and belied his tiny frame. Even though I was about 75 yards away from the stage, when he sang "Heaven and Hell" and "Children of the Sea" I had tears streaming down my face. It was so powerful and what was even better was that the sold-out show was a mix of really old heshers and young people, and they all sang along and were just as moved as I was. While some of his lyrics were a bit on the cheesy side, he sang like he meant it; sang like it was the first time he had sung it ( and in all actuality by the time I got to finally see him, it was probably in the tens of thousands). He was a consummate performer and will be deeply missed.
Phil Freeman, who had interviewed him at least a couple of times, has just posted a memoriam with a biography of not just his time with Sabbath / Heaven and Hell, but also his solo career and his time with Rainbow, over at his blog, Heavy Metal Superfan.
Here is my favorite song by Black Sabbath / Heaven and Hell, Sign of the Southern Cross. Rest in peace.
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