Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67.

Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J. with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell.

Don’t talk to strangers
‘Cause they’re only there to do you harm
Don’t write in starlight
‘Cause the words may come out real

Don’t hide in doorways
You may find the key that opens up your soul
Don’t go to heaven
‘Cause it’s really only hell

Don’t smell the flowers
They’re an evil drug to make you lose your mind
Don’t dream of women
‘Cause they only bring you down

Hey you, you know me, you’ve touched me, I’m real
I’m forever the one that lets you look and see and
Feel me
I’m danger – I’m the stranger

And I, I’m darkness, I’m anger, I’m pain
I am master
The evil song you sing inside your brain
Drive you insane
Don’t talk

Don’t let them inside your mind, yeah
Run away, run away, go!

No – no

Don’t let them in your mind
Protect your soul

Don’t dance in darkness
You may stumble and you’re sure to fall
Don’t write in starlight
‘Cause the words may come out real

Don’t talk to strangers [Don’t talk to strangers]
‘Cause they’re only there to make you sad
Don’t dream of women
‘Cause they’ll only bring you down
Yeah

„Today my heart is broken,” Wendy Dio wrote on the singer’s site, adding he died at 7:45 a.m. „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,” Wendy Dio continued. „We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us … Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”

The statement was confirmed by Los Angeles publicist Maureen O’Connor.

Dio rose to fame in 1975 as the first lead singer of Rainbow, the heavy metal band put together by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had just quit Deep Purple.

Dio then replaced legendary vocalist Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980 with the critically acclaimed album „Heaven And Hell,” considered by many critics to be one of the finest heavy metal albums of all time. His on-again, off-again tenure with Black Sabbath touched off an intense debate among fans as to which singer was the true essence of the band — a discussion that lasted until his death.

He also enjoyed a successful solo career with his self-titled band, Dio, in between his three stints with Black Sabbath (1980-82; 1992; and 2007-2009, when the band toured as Heaven And Hell, to differentiate it from Osbourne-led versions of Sabbath). Many of his most memorable songs revolved around the struggle between good and evil, including his signature tune „Heaven And Hell.” He also drew heavily on medieval imagery in songs like „Neon Knights,” „Killing The Dragon” and „Stargazer.”

„He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match it,” said Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, whose band toured with Dio since 1983, and was to do so again this summer at European rock festivals. „He was the nicest, classiest person you would ever want to meet.”

Dio organized an all-star charity collaboration in 1986 called „Hear N Aid” to raise money for famine relief in Africa, styled on the successful „We Are The World” campaign of a few years earlier. His solo hits included „Rainbow In The Dark, „The Last In Line” and „Holy Diver.”

We’re a ship without a storm
The cold without the warm
Light inside the darkness that it needs, yeah

We’re a laugh without a tear
The hope without the fear
We are coming – home

We’re off to the witch
We may never never never come home
But the magic that we’ll feel
Is worth a lifetime

We’re all born upon the cross
The throw before the toss
You can release yourself
But the only way is down

We don’t come alone
We are fire we are stone
We’re the hand that writes
Then quickly moves away

Chorus:
We’ll know for the first time
If we’re evil or divine
We’re the last in line
We’re the last in line

Two eyes from the east
It’s the angel or the beast
And the answer lies between
The good and bad

We search for the truth
We could die upon the tooth
But the thrill of just the chase
Is worth the pain

Repeat chorus

We’re off to the witch
We may never never never come home
But the magic that we’ll feel
Is worth a lifetime

We’re all born upon the cross
The throw before the toss
You can release yourself
But the only way you go is down

http://www.ronniejamesdio.com/

Anunțuri