More than 15 years after the loss of life of heavy metallic icon Ronnie James Dio, his widow and mates proceed the struggle in opposition to most cancers in his identify.
On Thursday, Wendy Dio and her mates and supporters will maintain the annual Bowl for Ronnie movie star event on the Pinz Bowling Center in Studio City.
In the previous, the occasion has been attended by well-known folks similar to rockers Dave Grohl and Tom Morello, in addition to actor Jack Black and dozens of different musicians from the metallic and arduous rock scene. It is considered one of two occasions held annually that elevate consciousness and cash for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.
According to Wendy Dio, the group has raised about $2.5 million over time, with funds going to the most cancers analysis work of the TJ Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research; the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the UCLA School of Dentistry’s early most cancers detection program, the place Dr. David Wong is engaged on a solution to detect abdomen most cancers from saliva samples.
Corporate lane sponsorships for the bowling occasion vary from $2,500 to $3,000 for a group of bowlers (relying on when it’s booked), with a restricted variety of spectator tickets accessible to followers for round $ 90, taxes included.
After spending greater than 40 years within the music trade as an artist supervisor, Wendy Dio – who had a small half within the 1975 cult movie “Death Race 2000” – began the fund not lengthy after the loss of life of her husband of greater than three many years. of abdomen most cancers on May 16, 2010, on the age of 67.
Wendy Dio, the late spouse of heavy metallic singer Ronnie James Dio
(Marcus Ubungen/Los Angeles Times)
“When Ronnie died, lots of people needed to donate cash for most cancers (analysis and consciousness),” she says, sitting on the bar within the castle-like Encino house she as soon as shared along with her late husband. “I’m completely in opposition to large corporations taking some huge cash, as a result of the place does it go? Iron Maiden gave us $10,000 so I believed, why do not we begin our personal most cancers fund? We know that if everybody offers a dime, it is going to go immediately the place we wish it to go, which is into analysis and schooling.”
After the fund was established, Wendy Dio discovered supporters from numerous features of Ronnie James Dio’s storied profession. In addition to fronting his eponymous band Dio from 1982 to 2010, the diminutive singer was recognized for his piercing voice and being among the many first rockers to exhibit the well-known satan horns gesture. He additionally fronted Elf, Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore, Black Sabbath throughout Ozzy Osbourne’s solo years, and Heaven & Hell, which reunited Dio with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler.
It was shortly after what would turn out to be Dio’s closing tour with Heaven & Hell in 2009 that the singer was recognized with abdomen most cancers. In the 2022 documentary, “Dreamers Never Die”, Dio’s bandmate Butler famous that Ronnie was in ache throughout the tour.
“We did not realize it was the final tour on the time,” he stated. “Before occurring stage, some nights he was doubled over with a horrible ache in his abdomen.”
Butler stated within the movie that he and his bandmates would encourage God to go to a physician; though he was nonetheless in a position to carry out as if nothing had occurred, he was additionally in ache after the exhibits.
Even earlier than that tour, Wendy Dio says Ronnie had indigestion issues and visited a specialist in Beverly Hills. “They examined him for his coronary heart, made him run round and did all these exams,” he recollects. However, that physician didn’t detect the most cancers, so God continued his profession as normal.
After the ultimate Heaven & Hell tour was accomplished, Wendy says God had different plans. “Ronnie did not need to take a break,” he says, including that he had deliberate to take his band Dio again on tour in Europe and had even despatched the group’s tools abroad earlier than the tour.
However, the ache grew to become an excessive amount of to bear. God visited one other physician, who steered a blood take a look at that finally revealed his most cancers prognosis. Wendy acquired busy, researching the most effective hospitals for treating abdomen most cancers. Initially, they could not get him into the MD Anderson Cancer Research Center, in order that they turned to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
“This physician stated, ‘There’s nothing we will do for you. You ought to simply go house and get your issues so as,’” Wendy recollects. “It was horrible. We went again to the lodge and cried our eyes out after which I acquired a textual content saying we had an appointment with MD Anderson. Tony Martell of the TJ Martell Foundation known as to assist God schedule a hospital appointment, Wendy says.
There they discovered a physician with a extra optimistic outlook, who vowed to do all the pieces he may to assist God defeat most cancers.
After remedy, Ronnie’s situation improved. He returned house to Los Angeles, the place he was honored with an award for Best Metal Vocalist on the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, however weeks later his situation worsened. He was taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, the place he was given morphine for ache; he went right into a coma and died a couple of weeks later.
In the weeks and months instantly following God’s loss of life, Wendy moved on. But 5 months later Davy Kirkwood, a sound engineer and one of many pallbearers at God’s funeral, additionally died.
“I utterly broke down,” Wendy recollects. “I feel all the pieces constructed and all the pieces got here to me. That’s once I thought, ‘We must do one thing,’ and that is once we determined to arrange the most cancers fund.”
Celebrities who’ve supported earlier Stand Up and Shout fundraisers embrace Lita Ford. For the singer/guitarist it is private. She was a fan and pal of Ronnie’s
“I miss Ronnie,” he says in a phone interview from his house close to Phoenix. “There was nobody like him within the music trade. I take heed to his songs nearly day-after-day, earlier than the present, earlier than occurring stage. Sometimes we placed on considered one of my favourite songs, “Stargazer” by Rainbow. If you may’t sing Ronnie, you are not warmed up.
Ford additionally misplaced his dad and mom to most cancers. Her mom died of breast most cancers and her father died of mind most cancers. “One minute he was fishing and the following minute he was gone,” she says of her father’s decline, recalling how shortly the illness unfold. “I keep in mind my mom asking me, ‘Why do I’ve most cancers?’ And I could not reply her. I knew it.
While Ford has attended the bowling occasion prior to now, he should miss this yr’s event on account of a tour date in Cincinnati. She fondly recollects attending earlier Stand Up and Shout occasions, together with the annual Rock for Ronnie live performance at Warner Park in Woodland Hills final May, the place she carried out and auctioned off a custom-made guitar for charity. In 2025, the annual Rock for Ronnie live performance shall be held in a brand new house on the grounds of the Autry Museum in Griffith Park.
That occasion, together with this yr’s bowling social gathering and all different Stand Up and Shout fundraisers, options TV/radio persona Eddie Trunk as host. The voice of Sirius/XM’s “Trunk Nation” has developed a friendship with God over years and dozens of interviews. “When he left, it was as devastating to me because it was to so many others,” she says. When Wendy Dio informed him that she was placing collectively a fund to assist these battling most cancers, Trunk vowed that he would do all the pieces he may to assist.
Like Ford, Trunk’s household has additionally battled most cancers, however his story has a contented ending. Thanks to screening and early prognosis, Trunk’s father was handled for early-stage colon most cancers and survived. “Because of that and the truth that I’ve a direct household historical past, I get colonoscopies each three years, and that is one thing I speak about on the radio: the significance of screening,” he says.
He can be grateful to Wendy Dio for organizing these occasions in Ronnie’s honor. “It’s nice what he is doing with the charity and it is nice that he is celebrating Ronnie,” says Trunk. “The different very nice factor about these occasions is that there’s a household of mates and followers of God and that brings everybody collectively. We all have tales about Ronnie, and it sounds actually corny, nevertheless it actually takes him again to these moments, as a result of all of us actually rejoice him and reconnect with him in these occasions.
Lest anybody assume the bowling occasion is only a social gathering, Trunk — who additionally participates within the bowling event — says some contributors take the competitors very critically.
One of his teammates is guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, who was a visitor on Trunk’s radio present the day we spoke to him.
“Tom is an efficient pal and is the focus of my group yearly,” says Trunk. “He says, ‘We must get some professionals concerned this yr. We want to seek out some ringtones. We must win this yr.’ So he will get very agitated,” Trunk provides. “Me, I’m simply comfortable if I recover from 100.”
