On Jan. 23, the rock and metal world lost a veteran in Jimmy Bain. Best known for his bass work in Dio and Rainbow, Bain passed away suddenly at age 68. In response, Ronnie James Dio's widow, Wendy Dio, has written a tribute.

Jimmy Bain was most recently a member of Last in Line. The band had been on board Def Leppard's "Hysteria on the High Seas" cruise, where they had already performed for fans. The five-day event took place from Jan. 21-25, though it is unknown at this point whether Jimmy Bain died aboard the ship.

I do not know what to say, I am in complete shock. We have just put Lemmy to rest and now days later we have lost another legend. Jimmy was not only one of the greatest musicians, but a kind, happy, sweet man. There will never be another Jimmy and I have lost a very dear friend. I will miss his smiling face. May he rest in peace or as I would like to believe that he is jamming in Heaven with his friends Lemmy and Ronnie.
-Wendy Dio

Drummer Vinny Appice revealed that social media had actually circulated the news of Bain's death before his family were able to be contacted:

Yes it's true our brother Jimmy Bain has passed and we are very sad about the news and in shock. We the band are also saddened that the news leaked out before we were able to contact Jimmy's family. Within an hour and a half it was all over the internet and confirmed by people that have no business confirming anything about this and not knowing the facts of the situation. We apologize to Jimmy's family and Jimmy's memory about this nonsense that seems to prevail on the Internet to be the first one to post something and attach themselves to a tragedy like the loss of our brother Jimmy.

Guitarist Vivian Campbell also said goodbye to Jimmy Bain via Facebook, "He was a very kind and gentle and generous soul and our lives were greatly enriched for having known him. We will continue to celebrate his life through his music."

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