[ad_1]
Jørn Lande (MASTERPLAN), Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW), Doogie White (RAINBOW), Fredrik Åkesson (OPETH), Pontus Egberg (KING DIAMOND), Guernica Mancini (THE GEMS, THUNDERMOTHER), Per Wiberg (OPETH), and Mia Karlsson (CRUCIFIED BARBARA) are among over 20 musicians who participated in the 2025 edition of the “Stargazer Alliance” memorial concert honoring Ronnie James Dio, which took place this past Thursday (May 15) at Bibliotek Live in Medborgarplatsen, Stockholm, Sweden. The charitable event benefited Cancerfonden, the Swedish Cancer Society, featuring performances of many of Dio‘s iconic songs from RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and DIO. Videos filmed by fans of the concert can be found below.
Ronnie James Dio, celebrated for his contributions to BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, and his solo endeavor DIO, succumbed to stomach cancer just over 15 years ago (May 16, 2010) at the age of 67.
Dio was globally recognized as one of the most talented and influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was actively recording and touring with SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL before his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what would be his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.
A free memorial service attracted over 1,500 fans, friends, and fellow musicians on May 30, 2010, at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
In March 2011, it was revealed that the remaining members of the last lineup of DIO would collaborate with former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim “Ripper” Owens under the name DIO DISCIPLES.
Ronnie James Dio, born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 1942, in New Hampshire, moved to Cortland, New York at an early age, where he began performing with local groups. A street in Cortland, Dio Way, was named after him in 1988.
His initial single was released in 1959 with a band called RONNIE AND THE REDCAPS.
His first heavy rock band, ELF, released three albums and opened for DEEP PURPLE, where Dio‘s voice caught the attention of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Blackmore subsequently recruited Dio for his band, RAINBOW, after leaving PURPLE in 1975.
Dio recorded three studio albums and one live album with RAINBOW before departing in 1978, including “Rising” and “Long Live Rock And Roll”.
He joined BLACK SABBATH in 1980, replacing Ozzy Osbourne, and recorded the albums “Heaven And Hell” and “Mob Rules”, along with “Live Evil”, before leaving in 1982. He rejoined the band a decade later for “Dehumanizer” and collaborated with them again under the HEAVEN & HELL name in 2006, leading to the release of “The Devil You Know” in 2009.
He also produced 10 studio albums with his band, DIO, including the iconic 1983 debut, “Holy Diver”, and the renowned follow-up, 1984’s “The Last In Line”.
Dio was instrumental in the HEAR N’ AID project, where various metal artists collaborated to record the song “Stars” in 1985 to raise money for famine relief in Africa.
Following his death, rock and metal artists from around the world paid tribute to Dio. SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor expressed his sorrow about the fallen metal icon to The Pulse Of Radio, stating, “When I got that news that he had passed away, man, it seriously — it broke my heart. It broke it in two. Because honestly, I just feel like there will never be another Ronnie James Dio. He had such a pure voice — and still singing his ass off. I just know he’ll be missed, and I will miss him as well.”
Former VAN HALEN and current SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE bassist Michael Anthony also reminisced about Dio with The Pulse Of Radio. “I don’t know anybody that didn’t grow up listening to his stuff,” he recalled. “You know, VAN HALEN, we used to do songs from the first RAINBOW album, especially ‘Man On The Silver Mountain’. I remember during the second VAN HALEN tour, we played at some festivals in Europe, and we actually performed on the same bill as Ronnie‘s band. He had a real powerful voice, and he was definitely a driving force in hard rock music.”
Slash told The Pulse Of Radio that he felt Dio‘s loss profoundly. “He’s just somebody I was influenced by,” he shared. “I played all the RAINBOW stuff, I played the DIO stuff, the SABBATH stuff when I was in high school. I don’t think that it’s really set in what a, you know, huge figure in rock ‘n’ roll we lost. Really major. Probably one of the most influential heavy metal singers of all time.”
[ad_2]
Source link