Dio Autobiography In 2012 / Tribute Concerts Next Year

Ronnie James Dio’s autobiography will be published in 2012, it has been revealed.

Ronnie’s wife Wendy revealed the news to The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show in the US, where she also confirmed that there will be a couple of tribute concerts to her late husband.

She also revealed a little more about progress of the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout” Cancer Fund.

"We set the fund up because I wanted to make sure that if a kid gave me $10, it was going to the right place and not going into some fat cat's pocket. So we've raised a lot of money — over $300,000. We gave $100,000 this week, actually, to T.J. Martell for cancer research and especially for colon cancer and stomach cancer. I met all the researchers and they've invited me to go to Nashville whenever I want to see exactly where the money is going. We're giving another $100,000 to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which is the hospital that Ronnie was at, the treatment center, and they're gonna put it in Ronnie's name and it will be research for stomach cancer with Ronnie's doctor, the oncologist that treated him — he's got a research going on to try and find a cure for stomach cancer. We've got a lot of things coming up. We've got a lot of guitars that we've been collecting, autographed guitars from everyone, and we're gonna have a big auction, probably in March, at Christie's or Sotheby's. We have to raise a lot money from that. We're also gonna do a tribute CD with Ronnie's friends, which is mostly everybody in the music business, and we're going to do a concert, probably in October or November of next year — one in New York, one in London and one in L.A."

"I think it'll be a lot of Ronnie's friends performing. I've already got some people lined up, but I can't say right now, but I will announce it early next year. I think it will just be Ronnie's music being played, living on, his legacy living on, with proceeds going to cancer research, to help find a cure for cancer, and with his friends. And just a celebration of life."

In terms of the forthcoming RJD autobiography, Wendy revealed that it will be finished next year before it is released in 2012.

"The book is three-quarters written. I'm gonna finish it. I have a book deal already. I have to finish it by June, and it will come out in early 2012."

You can watch the interview with Wendy below.