VIVIAN CAMPBELL: I Have Nothing But Great Admiration For RONNIE JAMES DIO As A Singer

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell, who had an acrimonious split with Ronnie James Dio (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, HEAVEN & HELL) in the mid-'80s when the two worked together in the first incarnation of Dio's solo band, was recently asked by the Artisan News Service (see video below) for his feelings on the legendary heavy metal singer now that Ronnie has passed on.

"[I have] nothing but great admiration for Ronnie as a singer; he was the best in a genre," Vivian said. "He was a difficult man to work with, for me personally; he and I had a very terse relationship. We did make great music together; I'm very proud of those albums and I always will be. That was it, you know. But sometimes, it's chalk and cheese. It was a strange and difficult time for me. I'm sure it was just as difficult for him to have to deal with me. But it is what it is, or was what it was. But like I said, the music is the important thing, and that's what will endure even after I'm dead. [And] the music was great."

In a 2003 interview posted on DEF LEPPARD's official web site, Campbell talked about his disdain for hard rock. "The real irony of that is I actually don't like hard rock music," he said. "I know it's a strange thing to say, but I don't really care about my past contributions. Even now I still get these guys coming up to me going 'Duuuuuuuude!', giving me the DIO devil sign and yelling 'Holy Diver!!' and 'Rainbow In The Dark', whoo hoo!!' and it's cool that they remember it, but that music never mattered to me — and still doesn't." Campbell went on to praise and rip Ronnie James Dio, saying, "Oh yeah, night after night, [Ronnie] was absolutely on the money. An incredibly strong voice and within that niche genre of dungeons and dragons and rainbows and midgets... You know, the sorta old-school heavy metal, he's an incredible talent. But he's an awful businessman and way more importantly, one of the vilest people in the industry."

A video clip of Ronnie James Dio calling Campbell "a fucking asshole" and saying that "I hope he fucking dies" in reference to his former bandmate was posted on YouTube in October 2007. The two-minute clip was shot on March 30, 2007 while Ronnie was signing autographs for fans after HEAVEN & HELL's show at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. "He's a piece of shit," Dio said. "You ever heard the things he ever said about me? He called me the most despicable human being that ever lived. I went, 'I thought I gave you a chance and made you somebody. And now you're playing with who? DEF fucking who?' There's a fucking rock band for you to fucking have diarrhea with."