Ronnie James Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer and died at the age of 67.

On Saturday 15th, in the evening, Wendy Dio had to refute several rumours announcing the death of the singer. She indeed declared: « he is not doing good, but he is not dead. ». It is nonetheless only a few hours later that she posted the message announcing Dio’s death.

We can be surprised by such a tragic and sudden end. Dio indeed started his cancer treatment only six months ago, at what was still an early stage of the disease. Dio’s statements were positive and implied that he had good chances to get over the illness. He was even determined to take part in the gigs organised by Heaven and Hell for their summer tour – until very recently. These dates finally had to be cancelled. Although these cancellations did not sound particularly alarming, we can now deduce that they were probably the consequence of an aggravation of Dio’s health.

The loss is enormous – possibly the most terrible one that the world of Metal ever had to cope with. Ronnie James Dio was the most respected man of all times in the metal/hard rock community. If there is a man who succeeded in federating and being respected by all – thrashers, black metal fans, death metal fans, doomsters, proggers, glamers, heavy metal fans, etc. – it can only be him. Because he played with Black Sabbath, Elf, Rainbow, Dio or Heaven And Hell, his influence is and will always be deep. Incidentally, he’s also the man who made the « devil horns » become the symbol of our community – a symbol used by all, in every single metal gig. No doubt: the world of Metal will struggle to recover from such a loss.

Do not hesitate to share your opinion and feelings with us in the comments or on Dio’s official facebook page.

In order to pay tribute to the « elf with a golden voice », Radio Metal organises a 48h-long Dio Marathon starting today at 2 pm and ending Wednesday at the same time. During this time, the radio will only broadcast titles from Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, Elf, Rainbow, etc. The marathon will only be interrupted by tonight’s Body Electric (8 pm), which should follow its normal course.

Tomorrow’s Anarchy X will however be entirely dedicated to the singer. You will then have the possibility to call us to request specific titles, and to share with us your passion for his music, your anecdotes, gigs memories, etc.