It was Sunday, May 16, when I heard Ronnie James Dio died.
I heard it after dropping my wife off for work. She's the one who called to tell me.
I knew the singer had been battling stomach cancer, but I didn't realize how far the disease had progressed.
At least Dio was able to attend Revolver Magazine's Golden Gods awards to say a few things about winning the Liquid Metal Best Vocalist. I saw pictures of him and noticed how frail he was.
Still, it was a shock to hear he died.
I first heard Ronnie James Dio when he sang in Rainbow, the band formed by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. (I didn't learn of Dio's earlier band, Elf, until a few years later.)
"Man on the Silver Mountain" was the song. I loved Dio's raspy high-pitched tenor. I loved his control, and I loved his lyrical imagery of magic, sorcery and dragons.
I bought the album "Long Live Rock and Roll," which features the song, but it also features my favorite Rainbow tune, "Rainbow Eyes."
That song is the mellowest of mellow. Dio's voice isn't raspy but a perfect, lullaby tenor. Blackmore's electric guitar is stripped of all its fuzz and effects, and the recording brings to mind an extended "Stairway to Heaven."
Still, that song touched my soul and, during the days of cassettes, I made countless compilations that always included "Rainbow Eyes."
Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1979. I was intrigued because Ozzy's a chanter and Dio is more operatic in delivery.
"Heaven and Hell," Dio's first album with Black Sabbath was released in 1980, and I loved it.
My favorite song from that album is "Lady Evil," and one of the reasons is the band's interlude-nod to Sir Cliff Richard's "Devil Woman."
Dio and the Sabs followed "Heaven and Hell" with 1981's "Mob Rules." There were some great songs on that release, as well — including "Sign of the Southern Cross" and the title track.
But things weren't all well within the ranks of the band, and Dio left before the band released 1983's double-album "Live Evil," which not only featured Dio singing the aforementioned songs, but also Ozzy-era Sabbath tunes such as "Paranoid," "War Pigs," "Children of the Grave" and "Black Sabbath."
Funny story: I tricked my mom into buying me "Live Evil" for Easter.
In March, she gave me a card that said she would buy any album I wanted.
I opted for "Evil."
While Dio sounds a little pressed on the Ozzy songs, the production and the track listing made it my favorite live album. In fact, I was on top of the world when Rhino Records released the box set "The Rules of Hell," which focused on the Dio-era Sabbath.
The set also included 1992's "Dehumanizer," which found Dio reuniting with guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler.
Dio formed his own band, fittingly called Dio, in 1982.
I had all the studio cassettes from 1983 to 1994 — "Holy Diver," "Last in Line," "Sacred Heart," "Dream Evil," "Lock Up the Wolves" and "Strange Highways."
During my gig as music critic for the Deseret News, I have since picked up the CDs "Magica" and "Killing the Dragon." And I plan to complete the collection with "Angry Machines" and "Master of the Moon."
In 1985, I took my friend to his first concert, which happened to be Dio at the Salt Palace. And I last saw Dio live in 2002 when he opened for the Scorpions.
In 2007, Dio teamed up once more with Iommi and Butler in the band Heaven and Hell. They took the Dio-era Black Sabbath tunes and a few new ones on tour.
The show never came to Salt Lake City, but the band released a DVD called "Heaven & Hell: Live From Radio City Music Hall" and also recorded a full-length studio CD titled "The Devil You Know" in 2009.
I have those as well.
In fact, after my wife told me Dio had died, I watched "Live From Radio City Music Hall," and my fingers flashed the rock 'n' roll horns that Dio made popular.
So long, mate. You will be missed.
e-mail: scott@desnews.com