US Black Sabbath Legend Dio Dies at 67

Ronnie James Dio, who rose to fame in the mid-1970s as lead singer of Rainbow, before replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980, died from stomac cancer Sunday. Photo by dio.net

Legendary US heavy metal singer, Ronnie James Dio, passed away at the age of 67, BBC reports citing Dio's wife and his manager.

Dio, who was being treated at a hospital in Houston, Texas, had been suffering from stomach cancer. He died Sunday morning.

The musician revealed last summer that he had stomach cancer shortly after the end of his American concert wrapping tour.

He was born Ronald James Padavona to an Italian-American family in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but changed his name after a mobster called Johnny Dio.

Rated one of rock's most powerful vocalists, Dio rose to fame in the mid-1970s as lead singer of Rainbow, before replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980.

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