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Working With Tony Iommi Was The 'Joy' Of Dio's Life, Widow Says

Ronnie James Dio's widow and longtime manager agrees that the singer would likely have reunited with his former Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell bandmate Tony Iommi if he was still alive today.

Iommi suggested in a recent interview that he and Ronnie would probably have started working on something together, following Black Sabbath's retirement in 2017.

"Absolutely. Ronnie loved working together with Tony," Wendy said during a conversation with Consequence of Sound. "It was the joy of his life. And I'm so happy that they got back together again before Ronnie passed away. Because it was something he loved doing."

Ronnie, formerly of Rainbow, joined Black Sabbath in 1979 after Ozzy Osbourne departed to launch his solo career. With Dio, Sabbath recorded two beloved albums, Heaven & Hell and Mob Rules.

Ronnie departed in 1982 to launch his own solo career. He reunited with Black Sabbath again in 1991 - 1992 and then again in 2006.

When Osbourne objected to continued use of the Black Sabbath name in his absence, the band featuring Iommi, Butler and Mob Rules-era drummer Vinny Appice rebranded as Heaven & Hell, releasing an album under the moniker in 2009, The Devil You Know. Dio died of stomach cancer the following year.

Photo: Getty Images