Mourning 3 years since Ronnie James Dio passing

3 years ago today the rock/metal world lost an iconic voice in Ronnie James Dio. He passed away at the age of 67 years old after a battle with cancer. His voice was possibly the most unique and most powerful in the metal world. From his time in Elf to his time in Black Sabbath Ronnie always seemed to stand high above all. When he decided to release his debut solo album “Holy Diver” in 1983 many speculated that it would not be a success. They were wrong and the album is considered one of the top metal albums of all-time. Ronnie’s solo career is one of the most successful of metal singer in history. He was a true warrior of metal having sold over 47 million albums with all the bands he had worked with. I personally had the honor of seeing Dio perform 10 times solo and twice with Black Sabbath. His live performance was nothing short of perfect. Hitting each note as if you were listening to the album at home. Displacing the voice of a giant standing taller than his short stature.
When we reflect on someone’s life we often look for their accomplishments, but we often overlook what the person themselves stood for and believed in. Although I did not know Ronnie personally I know from many who have spoken with him and knew him that he was a genuine, caring, passionate down to earth human being. A friend once told me that at a in-store signing of Dio was speaking with them in a friendly matter and an impatience fan behind them started to voice displeasure about the wait. Ronnie stood up and said to please be patience that everyone will get their chance to speak and that he was having a conversation with a someone. This is a perfect reflection that Ronnie truly appreciated his fans and took the time to speak with them and it wasn’t about being a rock star to him. R.I.P. Ronnie your impact on metal will be eternal. You are the the rainbow in the dark and you have inspired a generation of people never to settle to be the last line in!