Ronnie James Dio's widow says it was 'very difficult' sending his possessions to auction:....
Wendy Dio admitted it wasn’t easy giving up some of the possessions that once belonged to her husband, Ronnie James Dio.
The heavy metal frontman with the powerful pipes who sang about the battles of good versus evil passed away in 2010 at age 67 from stomach cancer.
Dio teamed up with Julien’s Auctions and offered 666 items from the rock icon’s personal collection, including stage props, instruments used over the years, swords, medieval art and more.
The auction took place at Hard Rock Cafe New York on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15. Fans were able to score some unlikely items, including Dio’s 1993 passport.
The 73-year-old widow and former manager told Fox News the vast collection had been in storage for years, even before her beloved husband passed away. But nearly nine years after Ronnie’s death, Dio found herself contemplating on what to do with the late singer’s possessions.
It was her good friend Ahmet Zappa, the son of late singer Frank Zappa, who suggested auctioning them off to fans.
“Some of [the items] were very difficult to give up,” said Dio. “I still didn’t give up everything. But some of the things were very difficult.
I had to go back-and-forth a few times about a letter George Harrison had written to him asking for an autograph. Some of the shirts still smell of him.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...smell-him.html