Black Sabbath Bassist Remembers Dio

Black Sabbath bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler released a statement Tuesday remembering his friend and band mate Ronnie James Dio. A brief excerpt from his latest entry:

“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.”

The complete statement can be viewed here on Butler’s website.

There will be a public memorial for Dio held May 30th in Los Angeles, CA. Due to the huge response, Wendy Dio has asked that rather than send flowers a donation be made to the Ronnie James Dio “STAND UP AND SHOUT CANCER FUND.” Details on Dio’s memorial and the cancer fund can be found at Dio’s website.