SEBASTIAN BACH On RONNIE JAMES DIO: ‘He Made You Feel Like Rock And Rollers Were All Together’

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Prior to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund's 10th Memorial Awards Gala, which took place at The Avalon in Hollywood, California on February 20, former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach spoke to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" about the legendary heavy metal singer who passed away in 2010 at the age of 67. "He was such a welcoming person," Bach said (see video below). "He made you feel like rock and rollers were all together. When you went to go see Dio in concert, he had a way of making us all feel like one kind of crowd in rock, even if you didn't know the person next to you. His voice was just perfect. His onstage demeanor was very different than, like, say, MÖTLEY CRÜE or SKID ROW. He never swore that I can remember. He was very cordial on stage, like, 'We're very happy to be here tonight. This is the fun that we're gonna experience.' [Laughs] You felt very classy at a Dio show. He kept it classy. Dio kept it classy." Ronnie's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio started the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund after Ronnie's death as a privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education. The Dio Cancer Fund has raised in excess of $2.5 million to date through its various annual events and direct support from the vast community of Dio fans worldwide. It is their mission to help eradicate this disease through education and via Wendy's mantra: early detection saves lives. Ronnie James Dio lost his life to stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, in May 2010. The disease often does not cause symptoms until its later stages. Usually, by the time stomach cancer is diagnosed, the prognosis is poor.