Table of Biography
Ronnie James Dio is a well-known late American heavy metal singer, songwriter, and composer. Ronnie James Dio led and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell.
Early Life
The heavy metal singer was born on the 10th of July 1942, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the United States of America. Ronnie James Dio was 67 years old when he died and holds American nationality. His full name is Ronald James Padavona and has a birth sign of Cancer. He belongs to a mixed ethnicity of Italian-American descent.
He is the son of Patrick Padavona (father) and Anna Padavona (mother). During World War II, his father was serving in the US Army and moved to Portsmouth from Cortland. He has an older brother named David Paduano who was a musician as well and he played trumpet in several jazz bands.
Caption: Ronnie James Dio childhood photo (Source: WOAI)
Growing up, Ronnie listened to a great deal of opera and was influenced vocally by American tenor Mario Lanza. At the age of 5, he began his first formal musical training and learned to play the trumpet.
Education
He attends Cortland High School participated in his high school’s band program and was one of the youngest members selected to play in the school’s official dance band. During his high school days, he formed his first rock ‘n’ roll group, The Vegas Kings.
Later, the band would be named Ronnie and the Rumblers and then Ronnie and the Red Caps. From Cortland High School, he completed his graduation in 1960. In addition, he was allegedly offered a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School of Music.
However, he refused the offer because his interest was in rock music. Later, he attended the University at Buffalo to major in pharmacology. During his University time, he played trumpet in the university’s concert band; however, he only attended the university from 1960 to 1961 and did not graduate.
Meanwhile, he went to Cortland State College but dropped out as well. In an interview in 2000, he said that he majored in history and minored in English.
Death
He announced that he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. on the 25th of November 2009. Due to his health condition, Heaven & Hell announced they were canceling all summer dates on the 4th of May 2010.
He gave his last live performance with Heaven & Hell on August 29, 2009, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sadly, he died on May 16, 2010, at the age of 67 years old.
Professional Career
Regarding his professional career, Ronnie James Dio began his music career in 1957 as part of the “Vegas Kings” (later Ronnie and the Rumblers). In the year 1967, he established the rock band “Elf,” which became a regular opening act for “Deep Purple.”
Moreover, the Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore founded the band named “Rainbow,” in 1975 and hired Ronnie to be the lead singer. During Ronnie’s tenure as a lead singer, the band released three studio albums.
Caption: Ronnie James Dio performance (Source: Rolling Stone)
Quickly, he rose to fame as one of heavy rock’s pre-eminent vocalists. He went on to become a lead singer, replacing Ozzy Osbourne for the English rock band “Black Sabbath.” Ronnie appeared on three studio albums with the band, all three of which were met with success: “Heaven & Hell” (1980), “Mob Rules” (1981), and “Dehumanizer” (1992).
He left the band in 1982, and formed the band called “Dio” which itself had two albums certified platinum by the RIAA. Later, he formed a band named “Heaven & Hell” with ex-bandmate Tony Iommi in the year 2006.
Awards
This late American heavy metal singer is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal vocalists of all time. In 1992, he won the Best Metal Performance Grammy Award for the song “I Don’t Want to Change the World” (with Ozzy Osbourne).
In 2006 and 2010, he earned the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards for the “Best Album” and “Best Vocalist” categories. Similarly, he won the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards in 2010 for the “Metal Guru” category.
He received the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2011 for the “Best Vocalist” category (posthumously). Back in 2017, he was Inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History.
Ronnie James Dio – Net Worth 2024
At the time of his death, his net worth was around $10 million. Mainly, he made this huge amount of money from his concerts, albums, and many other ventures.
Relationship Status
Caption: Ronnie James Dio with his second wife (Source: Cryptic Rock)
Ronnie James Dio married twice in his life. Firstly, he married Loretta Berardi in the year 1963. The couple adopted a son but divorced in 1972. In 1978, he married Wendy Walters, ex-wife of drummer Aynsley Dunbar and guitarist Ricardo Gaxiola. His wife works as his manager.
Moreover, his wife managed the Los Angeles rock bands Rough Cutt, NuHaven, Cold Sweat, and Hellion. The pair separated but did not divorce. After the death of Ronnie, his wife he married her longtime partner, Omar Gimenez.
Ronnie James Dio – Body Measurements
Caption: Ronnie giving his energetic performance (Source: American Songwriter)
This late American Rock metal singer stands 5 feet 4 inches tall (162 cm) and weighs around 65 kg (143.5 lbs). He has a pair of blue eyes with dark brown hair color and his other body stats are still unknown.
Social Media
This popular heavy metal singer is no more in this world. But his music, song, and passion have inspired others. Meanwhile, he is not active on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.