This is because nothing can stop Dio. m/

Unfortunately, Dio has rocked for a long, long time. Now it's time for him to pass the torch. Dio passed away this morning at 7:45am (Sunday).

http://www.roadrunnerreco...le&newsitemID=140129

Wendy Dio, wife/manager of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio
(DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW), has released the
following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday]
16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private
goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.

"We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.

"Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.

"Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

Now he dives in heaven. Rock on, good buddy. Rock on. m/

Man, that sucks, thoughts go out to his friends and family. On a bit of a lighter note, got to love the irony of this thread.

How Dio dies and crap like Slipknot and Lamb of God are around, I'll never know. But you know what, * them. Just * them. You enjoy the afterlife Dio, and you know what? You play Holy Diver for the rock gods and watch them get rocked like they've NEVER been rocked before. Keep slaying those dragons dude, you will be severely missed, and never forgotten. I even shed a tear when I saw the news.

RIP

NP: Dio - Holy Diver

Between the velvet lies

Life's like a never ending wheel

Without a doubt some of the most powerful words ever uttered by mankind. I never got a chance to ever see him live, and I never will.

But just keep rocking. Keep *ing rocking dude. That way, when its our time we can be rocked by the greatest rocker ever known.

Keep those horns going, and Gene Simmons can * himself anally for all I care.

m/

God is not without a sense of humor, it would seem.

White Wizard's statement on Dio:

"Ronnie James Dio will always be.

"Ronnie can never die.

"From the depths of the soul came a voice the earth will only know once, but the universe will know forever. His words were of magic and the fantastic while always laced with a sense of hope and positivity.

"In a world of so many difficult realities, Ronnie helped us all escape into his world... one filled with magic and a surreal sense of never losing the child within. He is forever an example of the free spirit of life and imagination. His soul is now forever stardust... the magic in his heart lives on because he believed in the energy and light he channeled, and there is something infinite in the knowing that his music will live forever.

"This life is an adventure... and Ronnie James Dio lived it to the fullest with a passion for his craft and with a drive to deliver the best performances and experiences to his fans worldwide. Even in his last performances with HEAVEN & HELL, he was always on fire with that big aura of light that surrounded him.

"The earth lost a very important soul today... but his energy is all around us now and universal. Death can never take that away."

m/

That's the worst damm news. Keep rocking RJD. Hopefully we can all eventually join you for the most awesome performance this world, and the next, will ever see. m/

Some statements on Dio's death, ranging from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Queen, Smashing Pumpkins, and Metallica.

Some statements from others on Dio's death from various members of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Smashing Pumpkins, Queen, and Metallica.

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. RIP – Tony Iommi

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. – Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill, and Scott Travis

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 Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Janick Gers, Nicko McBrain, and Rod

Billy Corgan took to Twitter: “R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio. I only got to meet him once and I can honestly say he was the nicest person I have ever met in music. … Ronnie was a true gentleman, and obviously one of the best rock singers there will ever be. What a sad loss.”

“It's a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone,” Queen guitarist Brian May wrote in a post on his website. “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.

“[He] was one of the creators of the genre of heavy metal,” May continued. “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.”

Yet Metallica's Lars Ulrich wrote an extremely heartfelt, personal and lengthy letter to Dio posted on Metallica's official website, drummer recalling seeing Dio's band Elf opening for Deep Purple in Denmark in 1975.

“Dear Ronnie, I just got off stage in Zagreb. I was met with the news that you've passed on,” he wrote. “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 6000 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 [Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple to form Rainbow with Dio in 1975]. 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.

“When we finally got a chance to play together in Austria in 2007,” the post continues, “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 f—ing honor and a dream come true to share a stage with you and the rest of the legends in Heaven and 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 ****ied 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, Lars”

(I apologize for the bump/double post but I felt that this was necessary)

http://www.roadrunnerreco...le&newsitemID=140446

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand what do we have here? Westboro Baptist Church acting like total *****es once more, obviously.

According to the official web site of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) — an independent Baptist church and hate group known for its hatred of homosexuals and its protest activities (which include picketing funerals) — WBC is planning on picketing Ronnie James Dio's public memorial service on Sunday, May 30 at 2:00 p.m. at The Hall Of Liberty located at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, California. What will presumably one of WBC's standard "peaceful sidewalk demonstrations" is meant to "remind you who worship that old Serpent, Satan, that your time is very short," according to a post on the "Upcoming Picket Schedule" page of the web site. The post continues, "You know 67 year old, Satan-worshiping (or at least one of their enablers) Ronnie James Dio (of showing his devil horns to the world each time he goes in public) BLACK SABBATH fame is dead, right? We'll be there! Just because the chances of any of God's elect being amongst this group of heavy metal sycophants is slim to none does not mean they should not get some good words."

For more information on the Westboro Baptist Church, read this entire CNN.com article from June 2009.

I don't like to incite violence, but can someone please, (Ironically) for the love of god, kick Fred Phelps in the balls? Hell, I wouldn't be distressed if somehow Fred Phelps dropped off the face of the earth

But for those of you that don't get it, basically WBC are going to protest Dio's funeral...... given the ENORMOUS level of support given from the metal and rock communities, that isn't going to go down lightly, I would think. A lot of people are going to be at that funeral, and its for grieving over what is possibly one of the nicest, kindest fellows that there ever was. Unfortunately, I know exactly how this is going to work, they piss off the people that they're protesting and then sue the city and keep all the money for themselves. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

I know its in bad taste to suggest this, but I really wouldn't mind if someone burned down the WBC, and I don't think many others outside of their group would either. Then again, I'm just pissed off because one of my favorite singers ever and a man that pretty much shaped the style of music I listen (and its culture as well) is being senselessly attacked by the WBC (A group that believes that "God hates fags" and mocks soldiers funerals saying they deserved it because the US tolerates Homosexuality and lists Barack Obama as the Anti-christ......... need I say more?).

Oh, and for some laughs, look at his uncyclopedia page. Not gonna link cause its NSFW.

I think my next CD purchase will be a triple-threat salute to the man:

Dio - Holy Diver
Rainbow- Rising
Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

I think my next CD purchase will be a triple-threat salute to the man:

Dio - Holy Diver
Rainbow- Rising
Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell

You rock man.
m/