On the 16th of May, 2010, today, Ronnie James Dio, the king of our hearts and the one who brought up from hell the devils horns hand sign so that we might rock as hard as demons, is dead. Ronnie James Dio, who was known for his miraculous amounts of fantastic rock and roll music, has passed on. He will not rock in hell for all time, monitoring the kingdom of the dead with his all-seeing eyes and blackened hands.

All hail Dio, master of metal.

Dio’s wife released this message through the official Ronnie James Dio site:

Message from Wendy Dio

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.

- Wendy Dio

Below is a small gallery of Dio-related images. The rainbow illustration is provided by Abe Lincoln who drew it just for this occasion, and the pencil drawing is done by Alleycatsgarden, who is also metal. Please take this time to celebrate the wonderful world that Ronnie James Dio created, and continue to revel in the joy of his tunes.

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies black category.