“We Went Back to the Hotel and Cried Our Eyes Out”: Ronnie James Dio Learned of Fatal Cancer Diagnosis Too Late

Ronnie James Dio’s career spanned more than 50 years, including stints at the helm of heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath and Rainbow. In October 2006, Dio began touring with former Black Sabbath bandmates  Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice under the moniker Heaven & Hell. Sadly, they released just one album before Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 2009. He died six months later at age 67.

Ronnie James Dio Didn’t Understand Why He Was in Pain

In April 2009, Heaven & Hell released their sole studio album, The Devil You Know, to widespread acclaim. It should have been a time of celebration for Ronnie James Dio, but the legendary vocalist was in tremendous pain.

Along with wife Wendy, Dio visited a Beverly Hills specialist with complaints of chronic digestion. Despite undergoing a series of tests, he left with no official diagnosis.

And so Dio embarked on tour with the supergroup Heaven & Hell. According to bassist Geezer Butler, he spent many nights doubled up “with terrible pain in his stomach.”

“We didn’t know it was the last tour at the time,” Butler said in the Dreamers Never Die documentary.

Neither did Dio. Wendy recently told the Los Angeles Times that her husband had already already shipped Heaven and Hell’s equipment back overseas in anticipation of another tour.

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“Ronnie didn’t want to take a break,” Wendy Dio said.

By the time the rock icon received a diagnosis, “This doctor there said, ‘There’s nothing we can do for you. You should just go home and get your stuff in order,’” Wendy said. “It was horrible. We went back to the hotel and cried our eyes out.”

Dio Died On May 16, 2010

Despite undergoing treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, Ronnie James Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer on May 16, 2010. He was 67 years old.

Barely nine months earlier, Dio played his final concert with Heaven & Hell on Aug. 29, 2009, at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In a backstage interview with a reporter from BlackSabbath.com, Dio rated the tour “a 9.5 out of 10.”

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