WENDY DIO Wants RONNIE JAMES DIO Documentary To Show 'The True, Real RONNIE'

Wendy Dio, wife and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, spoke to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" about her plans to produce a documentary that will cover Dio's career from his early days with ELF to his final project, HEAVEN & HELL. She said at last Wednesday's (January 23) Hall Of Heavy Metal History event at Marriott Delta Garden Grove in Anaheim, California (see video below): "I'm actually interviewing producers and directors. It has to be perfect — the way Ronnie would want it. I was talking with a label that I won't mention about four years ago, but the direction they wanted to take it in was not what I… I want it to be Ronnie — the realRonnie. The true, real Ronnie and not drugs, sex and rock and roll, 'cause that's not what he was about. So I want stories from bands that he played with, from people that looked up to him, from his old friends, his old bandmates — just so that it's true."

Asked if she has footage of Ronnie in the archives that people have never seen, Wendy responded: "I do. I have a lot of stuff that nobody's ever seen… Some of the footage, of course, was done on Super 8, so we have to figure out how it's gonna come out. But I think even if it's a little blurry, people will still wanna see it. I mean, we'll bake them and we'll do the best we can with everything. There's some stuff that's so old, but it's worth being in the documentary, and it shouldn't be taken away."

According to Wendy, the documentary, which is not expected before 2020 at the earliest, will be distributed via BMG.

Best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and DIO, Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67. A few months after his death, MTV Books announced plans to release his memoir, which at the time was going to be called "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio".

Wendy is currently working with legendary rock journalist Mick Wall on the long-awaited autobiography of the heavy metal master, which was three-quarters written before the singer's death.

"Everything Ronnie did, lyrics or anything, was always handwritten," Wendy told VH1 Classic Rock Nights back in 2010. "He didn't do anything on the computer. So he would handwrite it and then he'd give it to me and then I'd give it to my assistant, she'd type it up. So that's how it went and, of course, I'd read it along the way and it's very, very interesting. It's just interesting the way his stories are; he was a storyteller. Ronnie was always a storyteller and it's just great stories."

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.