The funeral of Black Sabbath and Dio singer Ronnie James Dio has taken place in Los Angeles.
Held at the Hall of Liberty yesterday (May 30), the service was attended by Glenn Hughes, who, along with Dio, was one of a number of singers to perform with Black Sabbath in the 1980s.
Geoff Tate from Queensryche and Paul Shortino of Quiet Riot also joined 1,200 fans at the service, according to Associated Press.
Dio lost his long battle with stomach cancer on May 16. He was 67.
Speaking at the funeral, Dio‘s cousin and Elf bandmate David Fernstein said: “He touched all of us with his music and his message and his magic. 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.”
Several songs from Dio‘s career were performed by the mourners, including a version of Black Sabbath‘s ‘Heaven And Hell’, which was sung by John Payne from prog band Asia.
A small planned protest by anti-devil religious cult the Westboro Baptist Church – who oppose Dio‘s supposed links with the devil – took place outside the gates of the venue.
