Ronnie James Dio Didn't Have To Die (Top 11 of 11)

Dio died of cancer in May last year after a six-month battle against the disease. But Butler says the frontman had stage-four stomach cancer by the time it was discovered � and it was already too late for him.

The bassist tells Noisecreep: "By the time Ronnie was diagnosed it was inoperable. The doctor hinted it was just a matter of time and there was nothing they could do. They said if he'd gone in for a check-up a year or two earlier they could have treated him." -

This Thanksgiving weekend we are looking back at the top 11 Day in Rock stories for each month of 2011. See the other Top 11 of 11 stories here

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