DIO Eterno \\ The World Of Metal Pays Tribute To Dio

Slash, Robb Flynn, Ritchie Blackmore, Kiss, Nikki Sixx, Scott Ian, Judas Priest and more pay tribute to Ronnie James Dio.

Below are just some of the tributes to Ronnie James Dio that have come flooding in overnight, since his tragic passing yesterday.

Ritchie Blackmore: “Ronnie had a unique and wonderful voice. He will be sadly missed in the rock and roll world.”

Robb Flynn (Machine Head): “Dio was a true gentleman.

“Machine Head had the opportunity to open for Heaven & Hell in May of 2007, and having never met or toured with Ronnie James Dio, it was a HUGE honor for all of us.

“On the first night of the tour in Phoenix, Arizona we celebrated, uh, quite heavily, and though the Dio dressing was heavily fortified with an army of security, I somehow managed to bullshit my way in and say hello. He had no idea who I was, but acted like we were old friends. After that, he always made a point to poke his head in our dressing room and say ‘hi,’ or give Dave (McClain) shit about ‘his San Antonio Spurs choking,’ or sometimes just to give us a $100-dollar bottle of wine they were going leave in their dressing room. All class.

“He was a powerhouse singer. Incredible tone, and grit. His voice onstage was FUCKING LOUD!! Shockingly loud!! We were lucky enough to watch from side stage almost nightly, and all of us were blown away by how loud his voice was.

“His memory was staggering. He remembered my wife’s name almost a year later, after only a brief one-minute introduction, and it charmed her to no end. He remembered my name a year after touring with him, in a crowd of people, without missing a beat, and asked how my kids were and kissed me on both cheeks when we said goodbye. I turned to my friend and was like, ‘Dude, Dio just remembered my name and kissed me on the cheek, fuckin’ High 5!!’

“When my parents moved to Fremont, California as I began the seventh grade, it was a pretty lonely time for me. I became friends with a girl named Lori Kibby who played me the first heavy metal record I would ever hear. It was Black Sabbath’s ‘Heaven and Hell’. It terrified me, enthralled me, captured me entirely. The imagery, the name, the title, it made me want to listen over and over and over again, in particular the songs ‘Heaven and Hell’, ‘Children Of The Sea’ and ‘Die Young’. My first garage band, (the awesomely-named Inquisitor) covered ‘Stand Up And Shout’.

“Would I have found metal without him? Maybe. But man, I feel so very fortunate to have had Ronnie James Dio as my first guide into the awesome world of metal.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you’ve done for music, Ronnie.

“Horns.”

Slash: “Ronnie died at 7:45 a.m. this morning, but his music will live for eternity.”

Scott Ian (Anthrax): “Rest in peace, Ronnie James Dio. Horns at half mast. Such a huge loss…

“So many memories of Ronnie. Toured together many times. He always had a kind word and a smile and he LOVED the Yankees.

“In 2004 on the Dio/Anthrax tour I would get the Yankee score every inning for Ronnie while he was on stage. He was so into it.

“Saw Black Sabbath on the ‘Black & Blue’ tour at Madison Square Garden in 1980. First row center.

“Ronnie was king of the world. Top 3 shows of all time.”

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.”

Kiss: “We mourn the tragic passing of the great Ronnie James Dio. In addition to his powerhouse vocal ability, Ronnie was a true gentleman who always emanated great warmth and friendship to us and everyone around him. We will miss him.”

Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue): “Ronnie was one of the kindest souls I have ever met and his talent was beyond inspirational to so many of us. I still have this image of him standing on stage in front of 100,000 belting out ‘Man on the Silver Mountain’ and remember the shivers it sent up my spine. He will be missed by all of us.”

Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins): “R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio. I only got to meet him once and I can honestly say he was the nicest person I have ever met in music.

“Ronnie was a true gentleman, and obviously one of the best rock singers there will ever be. What a sad loss today. ”