RONNIE JAMES DIO's Long-Awaited Autobiography Will Include 'Some Really Good Stories'

Wendy Dio, widow and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation" about the the long-awaited autobiography of the heavy metal master, which is tentatively due in 2021. Legendary rock journalist Mick Wall is working with Wendy on the book with, which was three-quarters written before the singer's death and which was originally scheduled to be published several years ago via MTV Books.

"Ronnie had written all the way past [his time with] RAINBOW," Wendy said. "And then we also found a lot of scribblings. So Mick Wall and I are working on that together. But that will be in Ronnie's own words.

"We are researching all the interviews that Ronnie did during his life," she continued. "1986 is when he started [writing] it, and he's talking about it in the beginning. And he starts the book off with saying, 'I'm on a plane getting off in Brazil, and a reporter comes up and asks me, 'How did you get started in the business?' And I was ready to just give my usual answer, and I thought, 'How did I get started in the business?'"

Wendy confirmed that she was aware Ronnie had been working on the book for more than two decades before his untimely 2010 passing.

"He'd write a bit and write a bit, bring it into the office, we'd type it up, and then he'd write a bit more," she said. "He handwrote everything and then just brought it in. And then, obviously, in the last few years, he was typing the stuff on his computer. So that's where we found a bunch more stuff that he had written I didn't even know he had written. And it's really interesting. It's really interesting, because even if it wasn't Ronnie [writing it], and it was somebody [else], the stories are really interesting. 'Cause Ronnie is a lyricist and he's a storyteller, and there are some really good stories in there."

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67. A few months after his death, MTV Books announced plans to release his memoir, which at the time was going to be called "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio".

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Also due in 2021 is a documentary that will cover Dio's career from his early days with ELF to his final project, HEAVEN & HELL. It is the first documentary about Dio to be fully authorized by the artist's estate. BMG is both financier and executive producer of the film, with all rights available worldwide.