via www.defmshop.com

7:45 AM, May 16th, 2010. The world loses the greatest metal singer of all time. Ronnie James Dio passes on from his brief stint on the mortal realm and into the afterlife, where he rocks with his fellow legends and watches over all of us.

Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona July 10, 1942) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture.

He initially played the trumpet and even recorded several singles with various rockabilly bands when he was a boy. When he was in high school, he joined a band called The Vegas Kings, in which he played the bass guitar. He eventually became the lead singer of this band, which changed its name to Ronnie & The Rumblers and finally to Ronnie And The Red Caps. Ronnie took up the name "Dio" after mafia member Johnny Dio, and first used it professionally in 1961. (via Wikipedia)

Dio was a living legend during his time here in the mortal realm. He left us with a legacy far beyond anything any metal musician could ever hope to leave behind. Below are some of Dio's masterpieces.

Dio - Holy Diver (via swdp01)

1983 Ronnie James Dio "Rainbow In The Dark" (Rock Palace) (via music3874)

Rainbow - Gates Of Babylon (via chukiiiin)

TENACIOUS D - Kickapoo - Dio appears at 2:05 (via NewLine)

Requiescat in pace, Dio. Rock on, wherever you may be.

\m/