Boombox Saint

Ronnie James Dio has reportedly lost his battle with cancer.

From Metal Underground:

Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona) has sadly passed away from his battle with stomach cancer. He was 67 years old. Dio made a name for himself when he fronted the Ritchie Blackmore led band Rainbow, who released their first album in 1975. After leaving Rainbow, Dio was asked to replace Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, to which he agreed. With Black Sabbath, he recorded two highly acclaimed studio albums in the form of “Heaven And Hell” and “The Mob Rules.” After leaving Black Sabbath, he formed his own self-titled band and became one of the biggest draws in heavy metal during the 1980s.

Dio briefly reunited with Black Sabbath in the early 1990s, releasing the “Dehumanizer” album before leaving once again to concentrate on his own band. Another reunion with Sabbath followed in 2006, this time under the new moniker, Heaven & Hell, reulting the acclaimed album, “The Devil You Know” in 2009. The band recently cancelled their tour dates in Europe as a result of Ronnie’s health.

EDITED TO INCLUDE:

This just in: that shit was hoax.  According to Dio’s twitter account, he is still alive and kickin’.  Glad to hear it.

EDITED (AGAIN) TO INCLUDE:

Looks like the sad news was, in fact, correct.  Dio has died.

From ATLMetal.com:

“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

“Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.

“We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.

“Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.

“Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”