So I heard the news today, Ronnie James Dio passed away after a battle with stomach cancer. Given the news over the past 24 hours (he passed away, "i'm not dead yet!", yes he has), it's made for a tumultuous day.
Lots of folks round these parts (rightfully) take a cynical view at "RIP!" threads and comments to those saluting "heroes" they've never met.
Well, I've never met Ronnie.
And I really don't give a fuck about the cynics at this point.
While I never met the man, I do feel like I know him. He's had a presence in my life onwards from the mid- 80's when DIO was so big with Last In Line and Holy Diver that not only did the metal head burn-outs wear his T's at school... so did the fucking cheerleaders.
With the passing of Ronnie James Dio, not only did metal bands lose a frontman of legendary (if diminutive) stature, metal itself lost a legendary front man. It seems whenever a documentary was made on the subject, amidst footage of drunken clowns incapable of blurting out a coherent sentence whether at festivals or floating in an inner-tube, there was always Ronnie James Dio. And he could always be counted on as a coherent, charismatic, and literate performer who actually had something poignant to say.
While the other clowns gave ammo to those seeking to diminish our favorite form of music, RJD gave us the counter punch.
So take your vinyl/cassette/compact disk/mp3 version of Last In Line or Holy Diver, crank it until your whole house reverberates, grab a bottle of your favorite fire water, and hoist your fingers to the sky and lament his passing.
m/
Thanks, Ronnie, for not only being a great front man and giving us some great tunes, thanks for being an ambassador for metal itself.
You have our gratitude.
(consider my thoughts and best wishes for the family and friends of Ronnie James Dio. I hope you can find enough joy in celebrating his accomplishments over the years to outweigh the grief and sorrow of his passing.)
It's hard not to respect a man of his stature. While I never enjoyed his music on a personal level I understand the significance of his contributions to the heavy metal world.
Totally possible and even understandable. But there is no denying the importance this great little man has had for metal in general. One of the biggest icons of metal just passed away. There are very few metal artists of his stature and importance.
I still can't believe he's gone. It's not fair... His cancer was caught EARLY - he should have gotten to survive and continue doing what he loved best. I already blasted "Rainbow In the Dark" earlier, going to put on the Dream Evil album shortly. This eulogy was touching, and thank you BitterCOld for it.
As for that one dumbass who claims he doesn't like Dio's music - then why are you here??? Idiot.
Following your advice, Whiskey in hand and my whole street is listening to "Holy Diver" whether they want to or not.
Quote: he could always be counted on as a coherent, charismatic, and literate performer who actually had something poignant to say.
Thats the biggest thing I always respected him for. If ever we needed a literate well spoken man to defend metal, he was it. Always a pleasure to hear interviews with him.
I've spent the afternoon listening to his solo albums. For any fan of 80's heavy metal, there are multiple classics. I'm still mystified why Sacred Heart gets so overlooked. It's my favourite of his; I had the cover art tattooed on my shoulder when I was eighteen.
Dio's voice is all over the soundtrack of my youth. Like BitterCOld, I don't give a fuck if I never met him in person, he has influenced my life since I was a teenager. His lyrics leant their power to shaping my thoughts and attitudes growing up and there are surely some influences lingering still.
It doesn't matter that I never met him. His voice is so familiar to me, I still feel as though I have lost a close personal friend. Thank the gods that I can continue to hear his voice.
Cattle die and kinsmen die,
thyself too soon must die,
but one thing never, I ween, will die, --
fair fame of one who has earned.
Go with whatever gods call you, Ronnie. You will be missed.
We owe him so much. I agree, I never knew the guy but in loving his music i felt i really did. He made that connection with his art and it resonates so hard in our heart strings that we are with him on a personal level. Honestly from his perspective he probably viewed ALL his fans as his friends regardless.
Never got into his music, although I like his classics like Holy Diver and After All the dead. No metalhead can ignore his big influence in our beloved music. RIP to some of the greatest artists not only for metal, but music overall.
I didn't try to listen to his albums exept the (heaven and hell) song, but after this tragedy i listened to the "Holy Diver"album it was awsome the best heavy metal album ever...
Man when I heard of this at work over the Radio I never believed it. Our radio station at work is fucking retarded, their news feeds are usually bullshit. So I went home at lunch, wife was keeping me from turning on the tv. As I turned it on I went to MTV, the news was real... I couldn't believe my fucking eyes and ears. This cancer cloud is taking every great soul. My dad has brain cancer; so this news hit my heart dearly. It seems like all the big names in music just pass away. Kurt Cobain, Bob Barley, and now Ronnie. I took the rest of the day off, went down stairs to my basement and played my guitar and drums with my daughter and wife.
Ronnie you will forever be a god in my eyes. May you forever above us all keep the spirits of our metal seeking alive! For those of us listening and playing music you are a true icon. Adios Amigos! M/ M/ RIP
Couldnt beleive the shit when i heard it, i mean i grew up listening to this god of rock, & i was still waiting for a new album goddamnit.
I will miss that old guy:-[
Goodbye DIO you'll be missed dearly ß
Thanks a lot for taking the time to post this dude. I cried like a baby when I hear Dio was dead. He was a big inspiration in my life as well. His passion and lyrics were so above those of most metal bands/singers. I'm just glad I got to see him live (Heaven & Hell 2007) before he died. His music has always been a big part of my life ever since I started listening to it, and probably always will be. I really agree with this post, and Dio will forever be missed
I've never been a big fan of his music but I was always a huge fan of his voice and I have a lot of respect for him. It was always interesting to hear him talk in metal documentaries and such.
When Anthrax played "Heaven and Hell" at Sonisphere, I had major chills down my spine.
I already blasted "Rainbow In the Dark" earlier, going to put on the Dream Evil album shortly. This eulogy was touching, and thank you BitterCOld for it.
