Damn Dio was one of my favorites. When I was a teenager one of my friends nicknamed me Dio because I was always listening to him. Rainbow, Sabbath, and solo stuff. RIP
I know, I was floored. I've always considered him one of the best metal voices out there - gosh, Lady of the Lake, Tarot Woman, Gates of Babylon, what a voice! Then Smilodon sent me this: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/frank-frazetta-fantasy-illustrator-dies-at-82/?src=mv Which made things even worse - Frank Frazetta died too! That's a big chunk of culture down the drain.
Easily one of the most recognizable and powerful voices in all of rock. Ronnie had BIG shoes to fill when he left Rainbow to join Black Sabbath, but he did it, and was responsible for 2 of Sabbath's best albums ever in Heaven and Hell, and Mob Rules. I was a huge fan of his solo stuff too. Sad day in heavy music for sure.