Ronnie James Dio

Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and raised in Cortland, New York, Ronnie James Dio made his name as an American heavy metal vocalist with a succession of bands. He began in 1957 with the Vegas Kings and formed Elf in 1967, singing and playing bass. In 1975 Ritchie Blackmore recruited him for Rainbow, where he recorded three studio albums and became one of heavy rock's pre-eminent singers. He replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1979 and sang on Heaven & Hell (1980), Mob Rules (1981), and Dehumanizer (1992). After leaving in 1982, he founded the band Dio, which earned two platinum albums, and in 2006 he formed Heaven & Hell with former Black Sabbath colleagues. He played himself in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006). Dio won Classic Rock Magazine's Metal Guru Award in 2006 and Best Metal Singer at the 2010 Revolver Golden Gods Awards. He died in 2010.