Some thoughts on Dio

No one seems to be unaffected by the death of possibly the best voice in all metal- Ronnie James Dio.  I could go on and on about what a great guy he was or about his amazing talent, but really this is nothing that wasn't wildly obvious.  Here are some thoughts from those who were close to him.
Tony Iommi:

My Dear Friend Ronnie, 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

Geezer Butler : 

GOODBYE MY DEAR FRIEND.

Wendy Dio:

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes 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.

Lars Ulrich: 

Dear Ronnie,

I just got off stage in Zagreb. I was met with the news that you've passed on. 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 6,000 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. 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.  Rainbow came to Copenhagen a couple more times over the next few years and each time you guys blew my mind, and for a good three years were my absolute favorite band on this planet.

Over the years I've been fortunate enough to run into you a half dozen times or so and each time you were as kind, caring and gracious as you were in 1976 outside the hotel.

When we finally got a chance to play together in Austria in 2007, 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 fucking honor and a dream come true to share a stage with you and the rest of the legends in Heaven & 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 pussied 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.

Brian May: 

It's a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone. 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.  

Well, he fought to the very end... was gearing up to go back out on tour.  I know this will be a very hard blow for my friend Tony Iommi.  When I last saw Ronnie in Los Angeles, he was as full of life and positivity as anybody I've ever known .. and sang up a storm with Heaven & Hell in the Universal Amphitheatre.  In my opinion, Ronnie was one of the creators of the genre of heavy metal.  I'm not an expert on his work — there are many people much more knowledgeable than me... but our paths crossed many times over the years, and I had clear glimpses of his unique spirit and personality. He was in many ways the antithesis of the current mould of TV-bred singers.  He had no apparent desire for fame, in the sense that so many 'X-Factor' contestants seem to.  He was not a TV face, a 'celebrity.'  He just loved doing what he did.  So, to his millions of fans, there was an unquestionable feeling of reality to his persona, his songwriting, and his performances.  His lyric-writing was very distinctive, and set a style in heavy metal which has influenced many bands over the years.  To me, it was as if his mind operated in layers — on the surface, a hard-working honest singer, with a great humanity and strong sense of humour — and underneath, in the world of his songs, his subconscious seemed to be populated by hobgoblins of all kinds, and palpable evil forever on the march.  His lyrics, dark and mysterious, in tune with the metal ethos, always represented the sword of goodness in triumph over evil.

I don't know if he invented the devil-horn salute [On a sidenote- yes, he did!], 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.

Ripper Owens: 

A sad day, just a very sad day!!!  We have lost a great human being and the best singer of rock in the world.  Ronnie was my hero and my friend, I will miss him and his kind words. He taught me so much on stage and off stage.  I also would like so say that my heart is heavy for Wendy Dio [Ronnie's wife], and we should all keep her in our thoughts and prayers.  I do not think of Wendy without Ronnie and I don't think of Ronnie without Wendy.  We all love you, Wendy... and we all will miss you, Ronnie, and we love you for everything you have given us!

Richie Blackmore: 

Ronnie had a unique and wonderful voice. He will be sadly missed in the rock and roll world.

Judas Priest: 

We are filled with great sadness at the terrible news about our friend Ronnie James Dio.  Our condolences and love go to Wendy [Dio, Ronnie's wife/manager] and Ronnie's family.  Ronnie was a wonderful man and will be sorely missed.