One of the few things that makes me really happy in this life is the fact that i had the luck to experience legends like Ronnie James Dio. In my life’s soundtrack Dio was there from the begining always singing to me.

In the radio,on T.V., on Music tapes(especially on music tapes with compilation tracks that we use to make and trade),on vinyls, on posters,on magazines,on T-shirts and later on cds and dvds. From the 80’s till now, Ronnie James Dio was there singing to me. In Rock bars, Metal bars, Metal cafeterias, even in the Arcade stores i remember myself as a little boy playing games and listen to Rainbow,Black Sabbath και Dio.

I had the luck to see him on stage and it was one of the few times that i felt more mature as a fan and musician after a live concert. In all my life, among the sounds that followed me, Ronnie James Dio was always there singing to me. Now that i was informed that he lost the battle with cancer theres only one thing that i think and keeps me happy. The fact that as always i am alive and my ears are ok, Dio will always be there singing to me. Because legends do not die!!
Ronnie James Dio ( R.I.P. 1942-2010)

Efkarpos

How do you bid farewell to someone who changed your whole life? To someone who taught you to stand tall a minute longer? To someone who enriched your existence by bringing friends around you, people that are still bonded with you? How do you bid farewell to someone who was always there for you, through the good times and the bad without asking for something in return?
The answer is obvious. You don’t! Because he never left, he’ll never leave.
So, until we meet again…have a safe journey Wizard!

Dimitris Karantounias

R.J. Dio is the definition of the phrase "THE Heavy Metal Singer".No need to say about the legacy he has left behind.Not only albums from his personal career with DIO,but also with titanic bands like Elf,Black Sabbath or Rainbow.His work all these years is more or less known to almost every metalhead, but there are two points I would like to highlight here. The first is personal.

It has to do with the chills I felt down my spine,the first time I heard his voice in Black Sabbath’s "Heaven and Hell".His performance has marked my childhood years and still fill me with awe.The second has to do with Dio as a person.I don’t remember anything told about him that is negative. His name doesn’t evoke any abuse of drugs or alcohol,any snobbish attitude or any fights with other musicians etc.,but only low profile attitude,charity action (Hear N’ Aid) and a personality that makes him a fine example for young people and musicians.

What else could say about a man that left our music orphan and in my opinion without having given us everything he could,yet and so "young" in our hearts.
"Behind the smile, there’s danger and a promise to be told:
You’ll never get old!
Life’s fantasy - to be locked away and still to think you’re free
You’re free, you’re free!
So live for today
Tomorrow never comes
Die young, die young"
Ronnie,may the god rest your soul

John "L.O.V.E. Machine" Litinakis

Let me take a little of your time to give a different perspective to your thoughts… What do you feel when you listen to DIO’s voice? Is it an everyday feeling? Is it something similar to what you feel when you listen to all singers? Is it a passing feeling? Is it any different from the feeling you experienced the very first time you ever listened to DIO’s voice?

You’re smiling aren’t you? Because it’s the same, isn’t it? It is the same ecstatic feeling that you can’t describe in words. Because words are too thin… You still feel the same shiver down your spine when you listen to this exquisite singer sing. Because the way he sings is something that never became a routine. It’s something beyond everyday singers you listen to and it’s the voice everyone tries to reach one way or another while singing…

This man has been the union of Heaven & Hell on earth. He is the story teller in a medieval castle, the wizard that elevates your feelings in places you haven’t been ever before, the healer when you’re feeling sad, the strength that keeps you going when everyone is against you, the escape of a mundane world that crashes your dreams, the hope you crave for when obstacles rise above you and you feel you can’t win, an artist that is more than a legend… He is one of the reasons the word legend was invented. Artists of this kind rise above time, life and death…

DIO will never die and you’re fooling yourself if you believe so. 

Hellena Mihailidou

Sometimes, people ask me why do I get so influenced by the songs that I love. Why do they affect my mood. Why do I feel that I ‘ve been known for a lifetime artists who maybe I will never meet in person, or maybe I will get to know them just a bit, and why does it hurt so much when they “leave”..
The answer is simple. I ‘m filled with awe and I’m being thrilled by such a creature like RONNIE JAMES DIO. If you ‘ve never felt this way, you’ll never understand all these “whys”.
A really BEAUTIFUL person, with great SOUL and VISION has left. Words will never be enough to describe the decency, the personality and the work of this small God.
Dio helped me comprehend what “magic” means. The Wizard will live forever through his songs and will keep our hearts warmer now that he became a brighter star.

Nicoleta Sarantou

On the 16th of May all of us have felt like we lost a familiar person, the wizard of our childhood this unique persona mr. R.J.Dio. His performances will always remain in our hearts, his voice will keep on setting shivers down our spines, like the first time we happened to listen to it, his unique lyrics will keep on put us on his magical world of dragons while in the same time will provide us with courage to face our everyday problems… these are the things that won’t miss from Him. But for sure we will miss his warm and kind smile that always Dio used to welcome his fans and friends, his gentle figure, and most of all his modesty , maybe the most difficult thing to find nowadays out there, especially amongst the todays “rockstars”.
Along with Dio, this unique gentleman, a part of our childhood innocence passed away.
“Don’t dance in darkness - you may stumble and you’re sure to fall
Don’t write in starlight ’’cause the words may come out real”

Lampros “Witchfynder” Tennes