Ozzy Osbourne Pays Touching Tribute To Ronnie James Dio

Ozzy Osbourne has paid tribute to Ronnie James Dio, who died on Sunday.

Dio, the vocalist who replaced Osbourne in Black Sabbath, passed away following a battle with stomach cancer. He was 67.

In a statement, Osbourne said he was “very saddened” to learn of Dio’s death.

“Metal has truly lost one of its greatest voices,” he said. “My heart goes out to his family and to his many fans. ... Love and respect."

Other tributes to Dio have come from Metallica's Lars Ulrich and KISS, who said they would "miss" the star.

Mastodon and Rob Zombie have also remembered the star, who also performed with Rainbow.

News of Dio’s death was broken by his wife Wendy in a message on the star’s website.

As well as performing with Black Sabbath, the heavy metal vocalist also worked with Heaven and Hell.

 Ronnie James Dio Dies: A Career Retrospective And Tributes