Geezer Butler Remembers Ronnie James Dio, Recounts Ronnie's Final Days was a top story in May. Here is the recap: Ronnie James Dio's Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell bandmate, Terry "Geezer" Butler has posted a lengthy statement about the loss of his friend. Here is what he has to say: It's impossible to express in mere words the relationship Ronnie and I, Wendy and my wife Gloria had. He was much more than a friend, fellow musician, band mate. If I have a soul, then he is part of it.I truly believe God, fate, destiny, whatever it's called, brought us together again in 2006, after not seeing each other for 14 years, to do one final tour, which turned into 3 major tours and an album. We were having a blast together, enjoying each other's company more than we had ever done before, talking about maybe doing one more album, when fate intervened again.
We were planning on doing a 2 or 3 part North American tour, after having toured South America and Europe in Spring /Summer 2009, but on the first leg of the North American tour, Tony's hand ligaments were in a bad way, Vinny's shoulder became dislocated, and Ronnie was having terrible stomach pains. We decided to cut the tour, get healthy, and carry on the following year. Tony and Vinny had successful procedures to fix their ailments, but Ronnie's stomach pains were worsening. I saw him at the Dio Halloween party, but he wasn't drinking, unusual for Ronnie who liked his tipple. He was telling me he had made an appointment with a specialist, to see what it was…..
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