Ronnie James Dio Musical artist

Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona, July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He fronted numerous groups including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band, Dio. He is credited with popularizing the "metal horns" hand gesture in metal culture and is known for his medieval themed lyrics. Dio possessed a powerful versatile vocal range capable of singing both hard rock and lighter ballads and according to Rainbow/Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore upon hearing him sing, "I felt shivers down my spine." Dio sold over 47 million albums throughout his career.

Personal facts

Alias (AKA)	Padavona Ronald James (birth name)
Birth date	July 10, 1942
Birth place	New Hampshire , Portsmouth New Hampshire
Date of death	May 16, 2010
Place of death	California , Los Angeles

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Musical artist

Career started	1957
Career ended	2010
associated musical artist	Black Sabbath Deep Purple Dio (band) Rainbow (rock band) Tenacious D Heaven & Hell (band) Elf (band) Hear 'n Aid
Background	Solo singer
genre	Heavy metal music Rock and roll Rock music Blues rock Doom metal Jazz fusion Power metal
instrument	Bass guitar Guitar Horn (instrument) Trumpet Keyboard instrument Singing
record label	Atlantic Records