During our trip to NAMM this year, we dropped by the first annual Hall of Heavy Metal History to speak with Wendy Dio. While sitting down with Wendy, she told us some fascinating facts about her late husband, Ronnie James Dio, that fans may not know about.

Ronnie James Dio was the first person inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History and Wendy was there to accept the ceremony’s inaugural award. After she described the timeline of the Ronnie James Dio hologram and played a round of ‘Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?’ in honor of her late husband, Wendy Dio searched her memory for some unknown info on Ronnie.

According to Wendy, Ronnie adored Indian food, but he wouldn’t touch the stuff at first. It actually took a visit from Deep Purple legend Glenn Hughes to get Ronnie to open his mouth for the cuisine and after that day, Dio couldn’t get enough. Wendy also described how Ronnie would constantly write songs while watching sports on TV. His favorite team was the New York Giants, so during NFL games, the metal icon would find his inspiration.

Dio was also an avid supporter of animal rescue, taking part in charity events throughout his life and adopting lots of animals. Ronnie also sent care packages to American soldiers in Iraq and Dio’s kindness was reciprocated when wartime planes were painted with phrases like “Holy Diver.”

Check out our exclusive chat with Wendy Dio in the clip above!

Ronnie James Dio (by Wendy Dio) - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?

Wendy Dio: Full Ronnie James Dio Hologram Show 'Should Be Ready by September'

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