In the world of heavy metal, certain friendships transcend the stage and studio, forming deep bonds between artists known for their larger-than-life personas. Wendy Dio, widow and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, recently shared personal reflections on the tight-knit relationships Ronnie had with fellow rock icons Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead.
“Ronnie and Rob Halford, and Lemmy were very similar people. They chose their friends very carefully. They were just really, really cool people that loved to hang out and loved each other — very much so…” she said, during an appearance on the Rocktails With Ahmet Zappa podcast. “And they, as I said, truly loved each other. And Rob still is amazing. He keeps in touch with me all the time. He does whatever he can for our charity. When he is out here, we go and meet up and stuff, and he’s just a sweetheart. I actually gave one of Ronnie‘s rings to Rob.”
Beyond the camaraderie, Wendy also opened up about the final moments she shared with Lemmy, who passed away just days after learning he had an aggressive form of cancer. “I saw Lemmy two hours before he died,” she recalled. “Todd Singerman, his manager, called me and said, ‘He’s not feeling good. He hadn’t been well for a while. He’d just come off the road, like, about four months before. Ronnie‘s doctor Sandy Kapoor was his doctor too. Todd said, ‘Can you bring Sandy over? ‘Cause he’s not feeling good.’ So we went over there.”
Despite his condition, Lemmy remained lucid and gracious during that visit. “And he was talking away. His birthday was earlier in December, and this was a couple of days later. I had bought him some old German books that I found that he was very into. And these were old antique books that I’d found — war books. And he thanked me for those. And we sat and talked for a while. And his girlfriend was there. And he said, ‘I’m a bit tired. I’m gonna lie down.’ He laid down. I left. I went to the mall. I was walking around the mall. Todd called me and said, ‘Lemmy just passed.’ I couldn’t believe it. I walked around, around in circles. I didn’t know. It was just unbelievable. I was just talking to him, like, two hours before. It was horrible.”
The contrast between Lemmy’s public image and his private demeanor also came into focus. When host Ahmet Zappa mentioned how approachable Lemmy actually was, Wendy agreed. “He was very introverted. So is Geezer Butler. They’re introverted people. They’re lovely people. But they really are kind of introverted. But when you know them, they’re just sweet, wonderful people.”
Even though Motörhead had to cancel several shows in 2015 due to Lemmy’s declining health, they completed a European tour just weeks before his death — a testament to his relentless commitment to music and fans.
