Ronnie James Dio passed away Sunday morning (5/16) in a Houston, Texas hospital.  The announcement from the former Black Sabbath member's wife, Wendy, was posted on his web site in a note that read 'My heart is broken. Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m.'  Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November (story)  Born Ronald James Padavona on Jyly 10, 1942  in New Hampshire, Dio moved to Cortland, a city south of Syracuse, New York, where he formed his first bands after changing his name to Dio, a name some said he picked up from a mafia member.  Elf, his first successful recording band opened a number of Deep Purple concerts in 1969 and  Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore later tapped Dio to join Rainbow.  Dio became Black Sabbath's front man after Ozzy Osbourne departed in 1979.  He would later use the title of one of his most successful albums with Sabbath as the name of his last band, Heaven & Hell, a group that included Sabbath veterans Geezer Butler and Tommy Iommi.
RonnieJamesDio.com