Being one of boomboxery's metal maniacs (along with Chris Lasonic TRC-920, and probably a few more) I can't feel sad about his passing.
We all die, in this case it's not a time of sadness. It's a time to recognise the difference he made to our lives in whatever form.
I was never a big DIO fan in the old days, always preferred Ozzy's era in Sabbath and was more of an Iron Maiden fan.
But I did get heavily into a lot of DIO about 10 years ago.
His stuff really crossed over a lot and got a lot of people into metal due to this. Once every few years a metal band crosses over
into mainstream rock and then draws a whole new range of people into metal who then find a lot more styles that aren't widely popular in the least.
As a tribue, I'd recommend everyone watch Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. Which explains metal in a way that really epitomises
what it means to be a metal head. Everyone I know who never 'got' what I saw in metal, I give them a copy of that and they always
come back with a lot more understanding.
DIO did a lot of positive things for metal over the years, he never lost himself in his popularity and stayed a man of his convictions.
We're all going to die sooner or later, to go with the life DIO lived is an accomplishment, I for one, can but dream of.
Rock On.
