Iron Maiden And More Pay Tribute To Ronnie James Dio

Band Photo: Iron Maiden (?)

Like so many others in the hard rock and heavy metal community, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake and others have posted messages online paying their respects to heavy metal icon Ronnie James Dio, who sadly passed away yesterday morning in Los Angeles from stomach cancer. The tributes read as follows:

Iron Maiden: "It is with huge sadness we hear that Ronnie has lost his battle against stomach cancer, and our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Wendy and family at this terrible time. From his earlier years in Elf, Black Sabbath and Dio, right through to his most recent days fronting Heaven and Hell, Ronnie, time and again, proved his genius as a frontman, always giving his all to his fans and his music. Ronnie was not only an incredibly gifted singer but also a wonderfully warm, intelligent and generous person and this shone through both on and off stage leaving a positive mark on everyone he came into contact with. A longstanding friend of Maiden, we played many shows together over the years and we will all miss him greatly. The world has lost an irreplaceable talent and, first and foremost, one of the finest human beings you could ever wish to meet."

Whitesnake's David Coverdale: "So very sad to hear of Ronnie's passing... My thoughts, prayers and condolence to his family and friends."

Arch Enemy: "Today is an immensely sad day for the heavy metal / hard rock community as we mourn the loss of one of the most amazing talents in the genre. Ever. A master of his craft and a true gentleman. Funny, smart and witty. He will be much missed by the Arch Enemy camp. Dio's voice will echo in eternity!"

Skid Row: "Our best wishes go out to the family, friends and fans of Ronnie James Dio. He was an influence to all of us and will be greatly missed."

Brian May (Queen): "It's a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone. Even though we had all known he was battling with cancer for some time, he was such a wiry fighter, and of such an amazingly optimistic nature, I think I assumed he would go on forever.

"Well, he fought to the very end... was gearing up to go back out on tour .. I know this will be a very hard blow for my friend Tony Iommi. When I last saw Ronnie in Los Angeles, he was as full of life and positivity as anybody I've ever known .. and sang up a storm with Heaven & Hell in the Universal Amphitheatre.

"In my opinion, Ronnie was one of the creators of the genre of heavy metal. I'm not an expert on his work - there are many people much more knowledgeable than me... but our paths crossed many times over the years, and I had clear glimpses of his unique spirit and personality. He was in many ways the antithesis of the current mould of TV-bred singers. He had no apparent desire for fame, in the sense that so many X-factor contestants seem to. He was not a TV face, a 'celebrity'. He just loved doing what he did. So, to his millions of fans, there was an unquestionable feeling of reality to his persona, his song-writing, and his performances. His lyric-writing was very distinctive, and set a style in heavy metal which has influenced many bands over the years. To me, it was as if his mind operated in layers - on the surface, a hard-working honest singer, with a great humanity and strong sense of humour - and underneath, in the world of his songs, his subconscious seemed to be populated by hobgoblins of all kinds, and palpable evil forever on the march. His lyrics, dark and mysterious, in tune with the Metal ethos, always represented the sword of goodness in triumph over evil. I don't know if he invented the Devil-Horn Salute, but he was certainly the man who, more than ever, made it a universal symbol, a world wide salute of Metal. He was universally loved in the community of Rock Music, and will be sorely missed."