JACK BLACK: RONNIE JAMES DIO Is 'Still The Reigning Champion, Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalist Of All Time'

In an interview with former ANTHRAX singer Neil Turbin (for Canada's The Metal Voice) at the 2026 edition of the "Bowl For Ronnie" celebrity bowling party, which took place this past Thursday, November 12 at PINZ Bowling Center in Studio City, California, actor Jack Black of TENACIOUS D — the metal-inspired comic rock collaboration also featuring Kyle Gass — spoke about his participation in the event. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I bowl for Ronnie. Ronnie's still the reigning champion, greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time. But I also bowl for blood. I come to win, I take no prisoners, and I walk away with the trophy. That's what I'm envisioning."

Remembering the legendary heavy metal singer, who died of stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, in May 2010, Jack said: "Beautiful voice, beautiful spirit, beautiful man. He's about 5'0", but what an incredible soul he packed into that frame. Legend. Miss him."

Black also reflected on TENACIOUS D's appearance in DIO's video for the song "Push" as well as Ronnie's cameo in Black and Gass's rock comedy "Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny". He said: "Yeah, we got to collab with him. Originally we wrote a song about him, and we were kind of making fun, saying he was too old to rock. And it's comedy, and he got the joke. He had a great sense of humor. But it was also a love letter to Ronnie, because he was such a big influence on me. Just love hearing his voice. And we got to collab, and we did a little performance in his music video for 'Push'. And then he came on and played himself in 'Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny' movie, which is just fucking legendary — really the best part of the movie. And he blessed us with his talents and his aura."

In the "Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny" film, Dio plays an apparition of himself — a kind of heavy metal Yoda — who counsels the 10-year-old Black on how to make good his dreams of rock grandeur. "The kid's sitting on the bed and he starts to sing to a huge poster of me — he's asking me what to do, saying all he really wants to do is rock 'n' roll," Dio said in a 2006 interview. "Then I come alive from the poster and tell him: Go to Hollywood where you'll meet your partner and rock 'n' roll forever."

In a 2005 interview with "The Hairball John Radio Show", Dio stated about what turned out to be his major motion picture debut: "I am doing a movie that Jack Black is doing. Jack, of course, was in one of our videos, our last video that was called 'Push'. Jack and Kyle Gass from TENACIOUS D were in that video and I got to be a good friend of Jack's, who is a brilliant person and the most intense guy I know. He loves the music that the classic rock people have made, loves the music he grew up with, so he is doing a film called 'Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny' and he asked me to be part of it. I play myself in the film and sing part of a song that Jack and Kyle wrote."

A few days after Ronnie died, Black released the following statement: "Dio has always been my favorite heavy-metal vocalist. Not just for his musical chops but also for the passion he poured into every performance. His use of beautifully haunting melodies leading to volcanic eruptions of raw rock power led to some of the great anthems of the genre.

"When Dio, who died May 16 at 67, performed live, he would stalk the stage like a dragon slayer. His commitment and theatricality were spellbinding. As a teenager I was profoundly moved by the life-affirming fire of his songs. They were filled with glory. They made me want to climb mountains and battle demons.

"To listen to Dio is to be transported to an ancient time of mystery and joy. His songs were an escape for millions of kids looking for release from the usual bull found on the FM dial.

"I had a chance to work with him, and he was about as cool a person as you could hope to meet. He was generous and soft-spoken, humble and serene, and had a tremendous sense of humor.

"Thank you, Dio.

The 2026 "Bowl For Ronnie" celebrity bowling party, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, once again sold out in advance. It was hosted by television and radio personality Eddie Trunk, who is heard on SiriusXM's 137 Faction Talk channel.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund was founded in memory of the legendary singer, who lost his life to gastric cancer in 2010. A privately funded 501(c)(3) public charity, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund has raised over $2 million since its inception. Monies raised have in the past been committed to the cancer research work of the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research, the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, and other cancer research projects.

Since 2016, the Dio Cancer Fund has supported the research of Dr. David Wong and his team at the UCLA School of Dentistry in developing a simple, non-invasive saliva test for the early detection of cancer. Dr. Wong will present his team's gastric cancer biomarker research at the 2026 Stanford Gastric Cancer Summit at the Stanford University School of Medicine on December 7 and 8.

100% of the net proceeds from the "Bowl For Ronnie" will go to the Dio Cancer Fund, which is now in its 16th year of raising awareness and much-needed funding for its mission of cancer prevention, education and research for a cure. The organization also hosts the annual "Rock For Ronnie" concert in the park, scheduled for Sunday, May 23, 2027.

For more information, visit www.diocancerfund.org.