Ronnie James Dio Diagnosed with Stomach Cancer

Ronnie James Dio, heavy metal vocalist, has cut his European tour short after being diagnosed with cancer. Dio, 67, was on the Heaven & Hell tour with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice when he fell ill and was taken to the hospital for further tests.

His wife and manager, Wendy Dio, said, "Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs; doing what he loves best, performing for his fans."She goes on to thank all the friends and fans on Dio's website "that have sent well wishes. This has really helped to keep his spirit up."Dio's musical career took off when his band Elf opened for Deep Purple, catching the attention of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. When Blackmore left to create his own band, it was Dio's powerful vocals and unmatched range that became the driving force of their newly created group, Rainbow.In 1979, Ozzy Osbourne was being kicked out of Black Sabbath for excessive drinking. Sharon Arden (who later became Mrs. Osbourne), band manager Don Arden's daughter, suggested Dio as a replacement. Dio added versatility and dimension as a songwriter when joining the band and their first album released was "Heaven and Hell."

We owe Dio a tremendous debt of gratitude for bringing the "metal horns' to the forefront of rock. Dio adopted the popular gesture from his grandmother to ward off evil spirits during his stage performances.