5 DIO Fun Tour Stories: You Never Knew- Rock for Ronnie 2026: Wendy Dio, Vinny Appice, Jeff Pilson, Simon Wright
- The Metal Voice
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
On May 31, 2026 reporting for The Metal Voice at this year's Rock For Ronnie 2026, Neil Turbin (Ex Anthrax) caught up with Wendy Dio, Jeff Pilson, Vinny Appice, and Simon Wright. (and others). The legendary folk shared some fun little known stories from the road, that might surprise you
Watch here
ROCK FOR RONNIE relocated to the south lawn of the Autry Museum for the first time last year where attendees enjoyed the beautiful Griffith Park setting and ample free parking adjacent to the LA Zoo.
Hosted by radio and television personality Eddie Trunk, who is heard on SiriusXM’s 103 Faction Talk channel, the ROCK FOR RONNIE lineup will close with Eddie Trunk’s often surprise-filled All-Star Band.
Dio and Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice is joining this year’s participants, among them Phil Demmel (Kerry King, Machine Head), Ricky Warwick (Thin Lizzy Black Star Riders), Robbie Crane (Warrant, Black Star Riders), Julia Lage (Vixen), Dave Moreno (Bruce Dickinson), Keith Nelson (Buckcherry), Marc Ferrari (Keel, Cold Sweat), Marty O’Brien (Daughtry), Mike Dupke (Wednesday 13), Michael Nelson (Thin Lizzy), Neil Turbin (Death Riders, Anthrax), Mike Mangin (The Cult), Robert Sarzo (Hurricane), Shani Kamelman (Iron Maidens), Victor Wichmann (Metalachi) and musicians and sponsor Bill McBride. Artist Meet and Greets will take place throughout the afternoon.
The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org) was founded in memory of the legendary singer, who lost his life to gastric cancer in 2010. A privately funded 501(c)(3) public charity, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund has raised over $2 million since its inception. Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research, the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, and other cancer research projects. Since 2016, the Dio Cancer Fund has supported the research of Dr. David Wong and his team at the UCLA School of Dentistry in developing a simple, non-invasive saliva test for the early detection of cancer.
100% of the net proceeds from the ROCK FOR RONNIE will go to the Dio Cancer Fund, which is now in its 16th year of raising awareness and much-needed funding for cancer prevention, education and research for a cure. The organization also hosts the annual BOWL FOR RONNIE Celebrity Bowling Party, this year set for November 12.
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Great little read — these DIO road stories really capture the warmth and humor behind the legend. Fans who enjoy turning rock articles or interviews into natural audio might also like Kokoro Web, a browser-based text-to-speech tool that converts English text into natural voice privately on-device.
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