Remembering Dio: Slash on Playing Rainbow Songs Growing Up

May 16, 2015, marks the fifth anniversary of legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio‘s passing. To pay tribute to Ronnie and his contributions to the metal scene, we sat down with a bunch of today’s biggest names and invited them to share stories and thoughts about Ronnie James Dio.

In this clip, Full Metal Jackie talks with guitar god Slash about Ronnie's unparalleled career. Slash has actually been a Dio fan since the vocal phenom joined Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow in 1975. So much so that the former Guns N' Roses guitarist was actually in a band that covered Rainbow songs.

Despite the veteran careers of both Slash and Dio, the two never really met until 2007. From then on, the duo remained friends until Ronnie's death in 2010.

Slash goes on to call Ronnie the epitome of what a rock star should be. Alongside undeniable talent, Slash points out how considerate and good-hearted Dio was, the sentiment of which has been echoed by many other musicians who sat down for our 'Remembering Ronnie James Dio' series.

Watch Slash pay tribute to Dio in the video above and look out for more 'Remembering Ronnie James Dio' videos from Loudwire. If you're in the L.A. area, find about the memorial activities taking place in honor of Ronnie James Dio this weekend (May 15-17) here.

Remembering Dio: Corey Taylor

Remembering Dio: Lzzy Hale