Larry Marano/Getty ImagesRonnie James Dio died 10 years ago this Saturday. The heavy metal icon succumbed to stomach cancer on May 16, 2010, at age 67.
Born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 1942, Dio’s music career first started to gain traction in the early ’70s with his band Elf, which would frequently open for Deep Purple. Through that, Dio met guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, with whom he formed Rainbow.
Dio recorded three albums with Rainbow, and his voice caught the ear of Black Sabbath, who was in need of a vocalist after firing Ozzy Osbourne in 1979. Dio recorded two albums with Sabbath, 1980’s Heaven & Hell and 1981’s Mob Rules, before leaving in 1982 to form his own namesake band, Dio.
The band Dio recorded 10 studio albums, beginning with 1983’s Holy Diver through 2004’s Master of the Moon. In between, Ronnie reunited with Black Sabbath for the 1992 album Dehumanizer. He also formed the band Heaven & Hell with Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, which resulted in one album: 2009’s The Devil You Know, which proved to be Dio’s final studio recording.
In addition to his iconic voice, Dio is also credited for popularizing the “metal horns” gesture, which he says came from his Italian grandmother.
Following his death, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was formed to support research of prostate, colon and stomach cancers. Over the past 10 years, the organization has hosted the annual Ride for Ronnie motorcycle ride and the Bowl for Ronnie bowling tournament charity events, which have been attended by the likes of Dave Grohl, Corey Taylor and Rob Halford, among many others.
In commemoration of Saturday’s anniversary, Stand Up and Shout has released video highlighting the past 10 years of Dio tributes.
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