Wendy Dio, the wife and manager of legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio (Dio, Heaven And Hell, Black Sabbath, Rainbow), has released the following statement:

"Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans.

Long live rock and roll, long live Ronnie James Dio. Thanks to all the friends and fans from all over the world that have sent well wishes. This has really helped to keep his spirit up."

Ronnie James Dio, 67, has performed with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser "Hear 'n Aid". He is widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. He is currently involved with Heaven And Hell, a project which also includes former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. Their first studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009.

Dio cancelled its European tour last week after Ronnie was taken ill. The band's lineup for the trek was supposed to include Whitesnake/ex-Dio axeman Doug Aldrich due to the fact that the group's regular guitarist, Craig Goldy, had prior touring commitments with Budgie in Australia.


UPDATED on 11.12.2009

Here is an update from Wendy Dio on Ronnie's battle with stomach cancer:

"Well, it has been a very exhausting month - after all the neverending tests in Los Angeles, we flew to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and as soon as we arrived, we got a call from the MD Anderson Hospital that they had an appointment for us with the doctor we originally wanted, so we then flew to Houston to the clinic, and of course MORE tests, but Ronnie finished receiving his first chemo treatment on Wednesday, and all is going very well.

I would like to thank Tony Martell from the T.J. Martell Foundation, Dr. Stuart Aaronson from Mount Sinai, Lindsay Brown and Mike Carden from Eagle Records, and our very own Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, for all your help in getting us into MD Anderson, and also our friends Geezer and Gloria Butler, who flew to Houston to be with Ronnie while he had his chemo.

Ronnie and I are totally overwhelmed by the amount of well wishes that we have received from friends and fans - we are reading them all. Some make us laugh, some make us cry, but all of them are so filled with love that it gives us so much support and makes Ronnie even more determined to fight this battle and win. Thank you all for the positive energy and prayers."

In the meantime, Heaven And Hell are confirmed to play the Sonisphere festivals in Sweden, Finland and Czech Republic, as well as the Nova Rock festival in Austria.


UPDATE (thanks to Holy Man)

Here's another update on Dio's health situation:

"After a few hiccups between Christmas and New Year's, such as a blood clot, a trip to the emergency room, and a three day stay at the hospital, we had a quiet holiday spent with family and close friends. Ronnie and I just returned from Houston, where Ronnie had his third chemo treatment, and all seems to be going well. Ronnie and Simon Wright went to see Avatar, which he thought was amazing! He has also been writing more chapters for his book.

We would like to thank Simon Wright, who has been such a help with everything and a good, good friend, of course our doctor at MD Anderson, Dr. Ajani, and especially our family doctor, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, without whose quick diagnosis and help with all the nurses and hospitals, we would be lost. His care and compassion is unwavering.

Thanks again to all of Ronnie's friends and fans, and - by the way - Ronnie has not lost any hair yet!"

You can read the full update here.

Source:	ronniejamesdio.com
Band profile:	Dio