Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf) Passed Away Fourteen Years Ago Today

Ronnie-James-Dio-Photo-185524195-c-Fabio-Diena-Dreamstime.com-dreamstime_l_185524184

Today and every day at Ghost Cult, we honor Ronnie James Dio who died fourteen years ago – on May 16th, 2010. He died after a long bout with stomach cancer. His incredible voice and enduring personality is synonymous with the metal genre. As a singer, with his own solo band Dio, as well as his legacy with Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell, Rainbow, and Elf, he was the inspiration of countless singers to follow in his footsteps. Dio gave heavy metal a lot of its fantasy elements thematically in the Power Metal and Symphonic Metal genres. He is responsible for countless genre classics, both songs, and albums, including his first album with Black Sabbath: Heaven, and Hell (Vertigo). Countless Dio-inspired bands operate today named for his songs or lyrics, there are charity events, tribute tours, and charity events that raise money to try to cure the disease that took his life, and even a major metal festival stage at Bloodstock Open Air is named for his memory. Let’s raise those horns to Dio today!