Remembering Dio: Sully Erna Talks Godsmack Opening for Dio

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, Loudwire Nights host Full Metal Jackie talks with Godsmack frontman Sully Erna about the great Ronnie James Dio. Erna feels like he shares a kinship with Ronnie, since the legendary metal singer was also short in stature. Sully found inspiration in Ronnie's gigantic voice, which the Godsmack mainman credits with paving the way for future metal singers.

Way back in 1996, when Godsmack had yet to even sign a record deal, the band got to open for Dio. Sully speaks about how nice a man Ronnie was, which left a huge impact on Sully as a fan. In fact, Erna's favorite Black Sabbath material comes from the Dio years. Both Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules are both placed as Sully's favorites, with no offense to the great Ozzy Osbourne.

Watch Sully Erna 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: Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta