RONNIE JAMES DIO: 'OZZY's Legacy Is Now Incredibly Tarnished'

Ronnie James Dio recently spoke to Bob Ruggiero of the Houston Press about the man whom he replaced at the helm of BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy Osbourne. Calling Ozzy "a mumbling, semi-conscious reality sitcom star who shuffles around in his sweatpants scooping up dog shit and being dominated by his shrewish wife and spoiled-ass kids," Ruggiero asked the singer about the effect on Osbourne's legacy in the wake of the MTV reality-TV sitcom that made Ozzy a household name.

"Ozzy's legacy is now incredibly tarnished," Dio said. "I would be more concerned about the people I'm making music for. I thought he was supposed to portray himself better, but now they have him as some guy with an affliction," Dio. "To see this happen...it's sad. But it's what he wants and there's money involved. So who am I to say? It's just sad, because he's one of the guys who invented heavy metal."

In the same interview, Dio spoke about the pinky-and-index-finger extended "devil horns" sign that he is widely crediting for pioneering. According to Ronnie, the horns did not spring forth from the fiery pits of hell or a dark dragon's cave — rather, they came from Dio's Italian grandmother.

"She used to flash that sign all the time. It was protection against the 'evil eye' as well as a way to give it," Dio said. "It was natural for me to do, and it's become a symbol of the bond between me and the audience. But I didn't invent it. Some caveman probably laid it on his buddy, Og!"

Dio also knows the power of the sign in concert. "Sometimes I tease the audience with it, but then when I do it, the place goes nuts," he laughed. "It's like 'Yes! The horns! That's what we came for! And here I thought it was the music..." Read more.