I had, like every other self-respecting metal fan, known that Ronnie James Dio had stomach cancer and had been battling that disease for some time. I totally get what Brian May said in the MTV article about how it just didn’t seem possible that Dio wouldn’t beat the cancer and make it through.
I suppose that part of it was that he was so much larger than life to me, both on his own as a solo act and as a part of Black Sabbath and later, Heaven and Hell.
Opening up the Google News homepage while I was on my lunch break today and seeing the MTV article of various fellow rockers eulogizing Dio was a shock. It took a long minute for the reality of it to sink into my brain.
Dio’s solo work was what first introduced me to real heavy metal. Sure, I’d listened to plenty of hair metal up to that point, and I certainly had an appreciation for the harder and heavier sounds to come out of that scene. But I had yet to truly start discovering bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath.
I picked up my first Dio CD–a greatest hits collection–on the strength of Edgar Hansen saying that he liked ‘Rainbow in the Dark’ and a vague memory of the song being listed in one of those VH1 ‘best of’ countdowns and the clip being fairly awesome. Of course, it only really took one listening for me to determine that this guy was more than just ‘fairly awesome’.
Of course, from there I went on to explore the world of heavy metal more and more. But it was really Dio’s voice that first sold me on the concept of heavy metal. This man could sing, and he could take you to the most amazing places with his voice. I’ve always respected that talent, from the first time I heard his work. Dio, and his great talents, will be sorely missed.