Dio memorial package available

Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 June 2010 10:56 Written by Various Sources Sunday, 06 June 2010 03:37

    Legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, RAINBOW, ELF) was finally laid to rest on June 1, 2010 at 3:33 p.m. at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills, California. Ronnie was carried to his final resting place by his friends, Vinny Appice, Geezer Butler, Craig Goldy, Steve Mignardi, Scott Warren and Simon Wright.
    For all the Ronnie James Dio fans that were unable to attend his memorial service on May 30, you can now make a $35.00 donation to the "Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund" and get the special Dio memorial package which includes a T-shirt (pictured below), the memorial booklet and the memorial button. The shirts come in the following sizes: M, L, XL, 2XL and 3XL. California residents, please add .0975% sales tax. Shipping for the USA, Canada and Mexico is $10.50, shipping for the rest of the world is $15.00. You can pay via PayPal on RonnieJamesDio.com or you can send cash, check or money order to: The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, 12400 Ventura Blbd. #837, Studio City, CA 91604 USA. Please include your shirt size when ordering on PayPal or sending a check!

The Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund mission statement:

The "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund was formed to bring awareness and education about cancer with the understanding that cancer screening and prevention is of vital importance in avoiding this deadly disease that robs families of their loved ones.
The philosophy stems from the notion that "Knowledge Equals Power." Cancer screening allows people to effectively plan strategies to deal with the disease early on and affords a better chance to overcome the cancer.
The fund is committed to providing free cancer screening programs and testing to all people regardless of their ability to pay.
The foundation will support community outreach programs and help provide the necessary equipment and personnel to test and screen people for cancer.
The fund also provides financial support to those individuals and families afflicted with cancer that cannot access treatment due to the overwhelming financial burden of medical treatments.

* The fund is committed to the early detection and prevention of cancer through facilitating access to medical screening and medical educational programs.

* The fund supports programs designed to integrate medical knowledge into local communities such as cancer screening programs, education on nutrition in cancer prevention, exercise and overall wellness.

* The goal of the fund is to reduce the risk of developing life threatening cancers by offering access to preventative medical services.

* Furthering the commitment for patients to access to quality medical care related to cancer, the fund seeks to assist families burdened by the cost of caring for loved ones with cancer.

Click the banner on the page and it will take you right to the donation page! 

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray found dead

Last Updated on Monday, 24 May 2010 22:13 Written by Des Moines Register Monday, 24 May 2010 22:07

     According to the Des Moines Register, Urbandale, Iowa police are investigating the death of SLIPKNOT's bass guitarist at a local hotel.  Paul Dedrick Gray, 38, of Johnston was found dead at approximately 10:50 a.m. today by an employee at TownePlace Suites (pictured above), 8800 Northpark Drive, police said.
    There was no evidence of foul play, police said.
    According to KCCI.com, the Polk County Medical Examiner's Office is assisting in the death investigation and will perform an autopsy on Tuesday. Toxicology testing will be completed to determine if there were any contributing factors in the death of Gray, police said.
Witnesses reported that items from the hotel room were carried out of the hotel around 2 p.m.
    Gray was born in Los Angeles, California, and later moved to Des Moines.
    Wikipedia shows that Gray has been married for two years to GodsGirls' Brenna Paul and has a tattoo of her name on his knuckles.
    In a December 2009 posting on his MySpace page, Gray revealed that his wife was pregnant with the couple's first child. "I am the happiest man on the face of the earth — literally!" he wrote. He added, "This has been the best Christmas I have ever had!"
    In April 2010 it was announced that Paul Gray had joined HAIL!, the supergroup featuring mainstays Tim "Ripper" Owens (BEYOND FEAR, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), David Ellefson (MEGADETH) and Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA). He was replacing the group's original member, David Ellefson, who was unable to take part in HAIL!'s upcoming touring activities due to his renewed collaboration with MEGADETH. At the time, Paul Gray stated about his involvement with HAIL!: "This is going to be amazing! After I heard the news about David reuniting with MEGADETH I touched base with Andreas and everything fell into place pretty immediately. I was excited about what they were doing and their whole attitude is just cool, old school camaraderie and fun and I wanted to share that with them. Fortunately, I had this window of time available as SLIPKNOT are on break so the timing worked perfectly. These guys have been through it all and they represent true metal brotherhood. I like that and I'm glad to now be a part of it. I can't wait, I wish we'd leave tomorrow. These shows are going to kick ass!"

Ronnie James Dio dead at 67

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 August 2010 14:55 Written by Wendy Dio Sunday, 16 May 2010 20:01

     Wendy Dio, wife/manager of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW), has released the following statements to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away."
"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all."
"We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us."
"Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss."
"Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."
    It was only a month ago that Dio, 67, spoke about his battle with cancer with the Artisan News Service on the "black carpet" of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which took place on April 8 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. When asked about how he had been feeling since he was diagnosed with the disease late last year, Dio said, "Well, I feel good and bad at times. It's a long process. Chemotherapy is a... I never realized what a difficult thing it was to go through. It's a real cumulative effect — the more you have, the more it piles up on top and it takes longer and longer to get over it. I find it very difficult to eat. I don't like to eat anyway, so I guess that's OK. But I know I have to. But this makes it very, very hard. But if you're determined to beat it, then you have to go with what you believe is going to beat it for you, and in this case it's that. I go to a great hospital in Houston called M.D. Anderson, which I think is the best hospital in the world, I have the best doctor in the world, Dr. Ajani, who I really trust and I really believe in, so I think I've done all the right things. It makes me feel positive about my life and positive that there is a lot more of it to live."
    Earlier this month, HEAVEN & HELL canceled its summer tour plans in Europe due to Dio's treatment for stomach cancer. The band said in a statement that Dio wasn't "well enough to tour this summer. We hope that everyone understands and want to thank fans and industry colleagues for their continuing support at this time."
    Ronnie James Dio had performed with ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and his own band DIO. Other musical projects included the collective fundraiser "Hear 'n Aid". He is widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. He was most recently involved with HEAVEN & HELL, a project which also included former BLACK SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice.   Their first and only studio album, "The Devil You Know", was released on April 28, 2009.

    Unfortunately, this was taken after one of his last shows with Heaven and Hell on August 22, 2009. He was a true gentleman in every way and he will be sorely missed here at backstageaxxess.com!

Ozzfest 2010 lineup announced!!

Last Updated on Saturday, 01 May 2010 04:26 Written by Various Sources Saturday, 01 May 2010 01:45

    The official Ozzfest 2010 lineup and announcement of confirmed bands is finally here. One year on, after months of speculation, and after the original announcement that Ozzfest would make its heralded return to the festival circuit, the legend that is Ozzy Osbourne will take to the stage for SIX dates with just 13 BANDS on each date for Ozzfest 2010. Music will start at 1pm each day with the Village of the Damned returning.
    Co-headlining this years bill will be MOTLEY CRUE and ROB HALFORD, who will be performing solo material from HALFORD and FIGHT. Headlining the second-stage will be BLACK LABEL SOCIETY.
    Ozzy Osbourne will be touring and headlining in support of his new studio album, which will be called 'Scream.'

Official OZZFEST 2010 Lineup and Bands:

Main Stage

    * OZZY OSBOURNE
    * MOTLEY CRUE
    * ROB HALFORD
    * DEVILDRIVER
    * NONPOINT

Second Stage

    * BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
    * DROWNING POOL
    * KINGDOM OF SORROW
    * GOATWHORE
    * SKELETONWITCH
    * SAVIOURS
    * KATAKLYSM

Ozzfest 2010 will kick off off August 14 in San Bernardino and then make stops in Chicago, IL, Hartford, CT, Camden, NJ, Pittsburgh, PA and Boston, MA. More information is available at www.ozzfest.com.