From Eddie Trunk, a heartfelt tribute:
5/16/10: This is a blog I truly wish I was not writing. My hands are
shaking on the keyboard so excuse the typos. I lost a dear friend
today, someone who I loved way beyond just the brilliant music he gave
the world for decades. Sadly it has been confirmed that Ronnie James
Dio has lost his battle with cancer. In my 27 years in the business I
have never met anyone like Ronnie. I am fully aware of people that I
deal with, and people that deal with me, because it's the business and
what we do, but Ronnie was way beyond that. Nobody ever gave me the
public show of support and respect back like Ronnie, and our friendship
went way beyond the business. I will never forget the first time I did
a TV interview with him. I had done years of radio but when I first
started as a host at VH1 Classic doing interviews under the show name
"Hangin With..." Ronnie was one of the first to come in. I was wrapping
up the interview and thanked him for coming by when he stopped me in
mid sentence and said, "no, thank you, more artists should be thanking
you because your the real deal and you keep us alive". On camera, out
of nowhere, early on in my TV career. That was Ronnie James Dio. One of
the classiest, most sincere, real people you could ever know. Sometimes
it's hard to find nice things to say about people when they pass, not
Ronnie, I could go on forever with similar stories and so can anyone
else that had the honor to call him friend. I have memories and stories
for a lifetime that I will cherish forever, way to many to get into
here, especially in my current state as I type this. Video of the last
time I saw Ronnie is on the home page of this site. It was at the
Golden Gods in L.A. April 8th of this year. I had asked him to be a
guest on TMS a few days earlier. Wendy called me the day before this
interview and said he was not well and they were headed to the doctor.
You could imagine how thrilled I was to see him on the red carpet for
the awards the next day. He told me he had a bad reaction to a
treatment but was okay. Needless to say I was hoping the same recovery
would happen when news came my way early this morning that he was not
well. Tragically it didn't. The man fought this as bravely as anyone
could as you can see by how he looks and sounds in the clip. Ronnie and
I spoke on the phone when he was first diagnosed privately. It was a
great conversation. I always knew how he felt about me and after we
spoke he knew how I felt about him. I really need to process this, it
is a tough one to say the least. Between Rainbow, Dio and Sabbath his
voice was consistently the most heard on my radio shows, and that will
never change, the music truly will live on forever and I will see to
that on my end for sure. To his fellow fans, friends and family I
express my deepest sympathy for your loss and I shed the same tears as
all of you today. My radio show this Friday night will be entirely
dedicated to the music of Dio. I am working to rearrange some things to
do the same for my satellite show tomorrow, however both Triumph and
Michael Monroe who were schedule already arranged travel specific to be
on. If I can reschedule I will, and tomorrow will be all Dio as well.
If not I will still dedicate as much of the show as I can do RJD around
the interviews. Either way we will celebrate his music and memory, for
the next week or so, and for as long as I do what I do. We have lost a
legend. A brilliant musician but way beyond that, and more importantly,
one of the classiiest nicest people you could ever hope to know. Rest
in peace my friend, you will be missed, but know I and so many more you
touched will be sure you are never forgotten through your music and
love and friendship you gave us all.
Subject: Rest in Peace Ronnie James Dio 
Sun May 16, 2010 7:28 pm
