DIO's Wife/Manager Slams 'Tribute' Projects That Are Profiting From Her Husband's Death

Wendy Dio, wife/manager of late singer Ronnie James Dio (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO, ELF),has released the following statement via Ronnie's official web site:

"Dear friends and fans of Ronnie, I have seen lately on BLABBERMOUTH.NET a lot of announcements of bands releasing 'so-called' Dio tribute CDs.

"Please do not be fooled by thinking they are doing this for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund; the money is going in their pockets and not to the Fund.

"I find this totally disgraceful and upsetting that they are trying to make money off of Ronnie's death."

As previously reported, surviving HEAVEN & HELL members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice will play a very special tribute to their fallen bandmate, Ronnie James Dio, at this year's High Voltage festival on July 24 at Victoria Park in London, England. The musicians will be joined by legendary former DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH man Glenn Hughes and Norwegian vocalist Jorn Lande, who sings for power metallers MASTERPLAN and is about to release his own tribute to Ronnie.

Proceeds from this performance will go to the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund.

More than 1,200 fans attended the public memorial service for Dio on May 30 at the Hall Of Liberty at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in California. The service featured performances by QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate, former DEEP PURPLE bassist Glenn Hughes, ANTHRAX vocalist Joey Belladonna and others. There were also personal tributes from Ronnie's family members, bandmates and business associates, including his wife and manager Wendy and his son Dan Padovona, who warned everyone to take care of themselves and get screened early for cancer, saying, "(Don't) make the same mistake my dad made."

According to the Associated Press, hundreds more gathered in the scorching heat outside the auditorium to watch the memorial on monitors.

Dio, regarded as one of metal's finest and most influential voices, sang with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own self-named band.

Dio's cousin David "Rock" Feinstein, who played with him in the band ELF, told the attendees, "I know that Ronnie truly loved all of you. He had a great appreciation for your loyalty. I'm talking about all you out there, all the fans."

A planned protest at the Dio memorial by the fringe Christian congregation of Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church was, according to one eyewitness, "cordoned off outside of Forest Lawn grounds proper and were small in number with an at least equal number of counter-protesters."