The likes of Kiss and Pearl Jam yesterday paid tribute to Ronnie James Dio, who died from cancer at the weekend at 67.
The BBC reported that “on Monday, at a gig in Switzerland, Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley led fans in a chant of former Black Sabbath singer Dio’s name” and that Grunge band Peal Jam performed a rift from one Dio’s songs, Heaven and Hell, at a gig the US.
In the Telegraph’s obituary, they claimed that Dio’s most enduring legacy is his devil hands horn salute, which he began using during the 1980s at Black Sabbath gigs before it became one of the most recognisable symbols of the scene.
The Guardian reported that Jay Jay French, guitarist with the metal band Twisted Sister, said that Dio “possessed one of the greatest voices in all heavy metal, and had a heart to match it. He was the nicest, classiest person you would ever want to meet”.
As a heavy metal vocalist and songwriter, Ronnie performed with the likes of Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell and how own band, Dio. He was involved in the collective fundraiser Hear ‘n aid. In Allmusic’s lengthy tribute to the main widely regarded as the ‘greatest heavy metal singer of all time’, Dio is described as a ‘ true rock and roll icon; his enormous talent as a vocalist and songwriter seemed to refute age rather than be dissipated. He will be missed by not only fans of hard rock, but also by those whose respect he gained from over 50 years in the trenches’.
Nearly 45,000 people have left tributes to Dio on Facebook.
Image: Reuters.
