KISS, Motley Crue Pay Tribute To Ronnie James Dio

KISS and Motley Crue have led the tributes to Ronnie James Dio, who died on Sunday (May 16).

The singer, who replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, passed away following a battle with cancer. He was 67.

In a statement, KISS said: "In addition to his powerhouse vocal ability, Ronnie was a true gentleman who always emanated great warmth and friendship to us and everyone around him.”

They added: “We will miss him."

Motley Crue’s bassist Nikki Sixx, who befriended Dio during a European tour, said in a message on Twitter that the musician had “inspired millions of us”.

He later told CNN: "Those of us that had the opportunity to know Ronnie can tell you what a wonderful and passionate man he was.”

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

"Today my heart is broken," Wendy said, before adding that Dio had passed away at 7.45am.

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

 Ronnie James Dio Dies: A Career Retrospective And Tributes