One Year Later: Ronnie James Dio Remembered

Has it been a year already?

Well yes I guess it has and its probably safe to say that the worlds Metal and Hard Rock fans will forever remember where they were and what they were doing when they first learned that singer Ronnie James Dio had passed away. This comes from the amazing importance that his very being meant to the music community and just how vital he was to its positive growth with not only his music and creativity but also in the way that he carried himself in the public eye. I have yet to meet a Metal head who didn’t love almost everything that Dio stood for. One cannot question this stance because the musician was nothing short of prolific in his body of work and he impressed everyone again and again.

dio, ronnie james dio, ronald james padavana
The Legendary Ronnie James Dio: Click Photo for Original Memorial Narrative

The Metal Republic had already been having a bad year as only a month before Ronnie died we had lost Type O Negative’s Peter Steele.  Recovery had slowly begun from that news but when word was made official about Ronnie being gone there was not a Heavy Metal fan anywhere in the world that didn’t feel a cold numbness taking them over.  For many fans this man was the pre-eminent legend and his being taken from us was a cruel reminder of just how human our idols truly were.   The realization that the same ills that befall us all can even take away those who bring us peace of mind stung like nothing ever felt before.   Of course Ronnie would leave us with an amazing body of work with Rainbow, Dio, Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell so he would live forever on in our musical mind.  His passing would lead to the formation of a record label by his wife Wendy and through this the Metal world would be able to enjoy historical releases and material never before seen or heard before.

On the day of his passing I composed a memorial narrative in his honor.  I touched upon all the aspects of his career that I experienced as a fan and featured many photos that I had taken when seeing him in action.  Clicking the photo of Ronnie above will take you to that original piece and its bevy of comments from the Metal community.  We welcome your thoughts to those words and ask that if you are compelled to add your own views that you do it on that original memorial so they can add to what is already present and give it the maximum power.   I’m sure Ronnie is rocking out with the likes of Steele, Hendrix and Moon and probably comparing notes with Morrison, Harrison and Lennon.  The great beyond was already rocking based on its populace but for a year now it has been getting a healthy dose of Metal input from the master.  I’d like to think that he was there to welcome the other Metal names that passed on after him as well.

Long Live Dio

Note: Please know that the means to comment on this post have been turned off and we ask that any reflection thoughts or toasts about Ronnie James Dio that you wish to share be left on our first Memorial posting that can be found HERE. Thank you.