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Ronnie James Dio of Black Sabbath/ Dio fame has died at age 67


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Celebrity News: Ronnie James Dio, 2007, source Wikimedia

Ronnie James Dio died today at the age 67. Some people claim that the heavy metal legend has died from stomach cancer, while other sources say differently. The famous singer Dio had been suffering from stomach cancer that he reveled to the public after a recent tour in Atlantic City with his band Heaven And Hell.

Dio had his seventh chemotherapy treatment recently and the other band members from Heaven And Hell have decided to cancel the summer tour due to Ronnie's condition. As for Dio, he becme popular back in 1975 as the lead singer of a band named Rainbow, but Dio's greatest success came in 1980 when he replaced lead singer of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, on the album 'Heaven And Hell'. This Album was a huge success for Black Sabbath and was one of the most successful metal albums in history. Critics loved it, but the fans were split regarding which singer they liked better, Ozzy or Dio. Beside his work with Heaven And Hell, he had quite a successful solo career with the band Dio.

Many people are claiming that Dio is still alive but he's not doing well and that the information about his death is pure hoax. Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 2009 and he has been receiving chemotherapy for his cancer. On March 2010, news on his site had said that the tumor has shrunk and that Dio is recovering. But, the latest news posted on his site by his wife and manager, Wendy Dio, says that heavy metal legend has passed away on May 16th at the age of 67. According to the news on his official website Ronnie passed away at 7:45am, but he will be remembered as a heavy metal legend forever.

Ronnie's distinctive vocal style and crowd-pleasing personality are evident in this clip where he performed "Rainbow in the Dark" for a late-night television show in 1983.