WENDY DIO Was 'Annoyed' By BLABBERMOUTH.NET Users' Suggestion RONNIE Was Overdubbing Vocals

Legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) is currently receiving treatment for the early stages of stomach cancer, with which he was diagnosed last November. His wife/manager Wendy Dio (pictured below with Ronnie) has issued the following update on Ronnie's condition:

"Well, now it has been Ronnie's seventh chemo, another cat scan and another endoscopy, and the results are good. The main tumor has shrunk considerably, and our visits to Houston are now every three weeks instead of every two weeks.

"Ronnie and Vinny [Appice, HEAVEN & HELL drummer] went down to the studio to have a listen and see how the [upcoming HEAVEN & HELL] DVD is coming along, NOT to overdub anything as presumed by Hoss2112 or Shattered 73 on the Blabbermouth rants.

"I was very annoyed to read these comments, and if they were truly fans of Ronnie's, they would know #1) that Ronnie is a SINGER and does not need to overdub a live show, and #2) He would never cheat his fans by overdubbing a live DVD.

"I will not be showing these comments to Ronnie, as I know they would hurt and upset him as they did me. He has been going to the REHEARSAL studio to sing, not the recording studio!

"Ronnie's cousin Rock [David Feinstein] (from THE RODS, who used to be in ELF with him) flew in from New York to visit Ronnie for a week and they enjoyed spending some time together, going to the movies and taking walks, and Ronnie and Rock went to the studio to master Rock's new album, which Ronnie sings a track on. And Craig Goldy [DIO guitarist] will be coming over to start writing new songs with Ronnie next week. It will be great to see him again, as he has been away touring with the British band BUDGIE.

"That's all I can think of right now until the next update.

"God bless you all and we are still reading all the wonderful cards and letters."

In a previous online posting, Wendy Dio revealed that there are plans to release a 30th-anniversary BLACK SABBATH "Heaven And Hell" DVD sometime this year. The package is expected to include brand new interviews that Ronnie, Geezer Butler and Appice gave to Eddie Trunk — co-host of the VH1 Classic television program "That Metal Show" — on January 22, 2010 in Los Angeles, as well other extras.

According to a posting on the BLACK SABBATH fan site Black-Sabbath.com, fans can send get-well cards to Ronnie James Dio through the official fan club address:

Dio Fan Club
12400 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 624
Studio City, CA
91604

Additionally, if you'd like to send an email to Ronnie, you can do so via [email protected]. After a short time, Black-Sabbath.com webmaster Joe Siegler will print them out and pass them over to Wendy Dio.

Dio, 67, has performed with ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and his own band DIO. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser "Hear 'n Aid". He is widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. He is currently involved with HEAVEN & HELL, a project which also includes guitarist Tony Iommi and other former BLACK SABBATH bandmates Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. Their first studio album, "The Devil You Know", was released on April 28, 2009.