Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio, whose real name was Ronald James Padavona, was an American heavy metal rock singer who was frontman at different times for the bands Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio. Born in New England, he began playing music as a child and in 1957 joined a band called Vegas Kings. He went on to form Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, which later became Electric Elves. A stint with Ritchie Blackmore's band Rainbow lasted from 1975 to 1979 when he succeeded Ozzy Osbourne as frontman for Black Sabbath for three years. In 1982, he formed his own band called Dio with drummer Vinny Appice, guitarist Vivian Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain. They made ten albums ending in 2004 with 'Master of the Moon'.

He teamed up with former Black Sabbath players Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Appice in 2006 for a tour under the name Heaven & Hell and they released an album titled 'The Devil You Know'. He collaborated with several other artists throughout his career including Bobby Comstock, Rough Cutt, Pat Boone, Deep Purple and Tenacious D. Diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2009, he died aged 67 in 2010.