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Onstage with Dio in 1984
Heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio died on Sunday, May 16, 2010, according to a statement from his wife, Wendy. The 67-year-old New Hampshire native had been battling stomach cancer.
Dio first rose to fame as the lead singer for the band Rainbow, which he formed with former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in 1975. In 1979, he replaced Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer of Black Sabbath, eventually going on to record four albums with the group. He later formed his own band, Dio, and also toured with a reunited version of Sabbath called Heaven and Hell (to differentiate it from the Osbourne-led version of the band, which had also reunited).
Fans are invited to leave tributes and condolences on Dio's official Facebook fan page.
