Stomach cancer, apparently. This is a sad day for the metal community.
Wow, that’s really sad. He was the embodiment of a heavy metal vocalist in his time. Great set of pipes, a better than average songwriter with a distinct, recogizable style, and he was just an iconic figure in his specific time and place.
Also deserves recognition for Hear 'n Aid – the heavy metal version of USA for Africa.
I always really liked his work with Sabbath too.
RIP
I just downloaded Holy Diver earlier today. RIP.
\m/ >_< \m/
ok, see, what I need is, I need for all the cool people to stop dying k thx
Just an hour or so ago, they had on some top rock songs on vh1 and he was on. Damn.
According to this he’s not dead yet.
Fight the good fight, Ronnie! Hang in there!
So it’s probably not a good time to post this…
In all seriousness, I hope he pulls through and continues rocking for a long, long time.
I’m still holding out for Peter Steele’s death to be a rumor. 
Seems to be official, now.
I’ve revised the thread title again to reflect that fact that he’s dead, but wasn’t at the time of the OP.
Aw, fuck.
:(:(
My first concert was Dio’s Last in Line tour (Twisted Sister opened!).
I guess he’ll find out if he’s evil or divine.
Sad.
He was goofy looking, even for the metal community, but he was a fantastic song writer, and seriously witty and smart and cool.
RIP
When I was a teenager, I loved him in Sabbath and Rainbow. *Stargazer *is what he was all about, still the heavy metal tune par excellence, in my book. Rest in peace.
Aw… damnit. Yeah, I heard he died, then I heard that it wasn’t true. And I was hoping he was getting better.
damnit.
I saw that tour as well, in Long Island. People were shooting bottle rockets at Dee Snyder as he tried to get the crowd to settle down. But Dio’s set was kick-ass and I wasn’t a real metal guy. Great stage show too. RIP.
Man, this has been a hard season for metal fans.
RIP Dio.
Me too, friend.