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Legendary
heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio will have a monument
dedicated to him in the Bulgarian Black-sea coastal town of Kavarna.
The statue will be placed in the city's central park, as part of the
soon-to-be built "Walk of Rock," a project approved by the
City Council four years ago.
According to Radio Bulgaria, the decision to erect the
monument was taken by the municipal administration, with the most
active proponents being Kavarna Mayor Tzonko Tzonev as well
as leading journalists, musicians and singers.
A replica of the monument was displayed during the three-day Kavarna
Rock Fest in July and a plaster model of the statue has since
been created, marking the final stage of the preparation for its
construction.
The actual statue will be 1.5 meters in height (approximately four
feet and eleven inches) and will be combined with large stones taken
from the sea.
The artists behind the project are sculptors Alexander Petrov
and Krasimir Krastev - Lomsky, while the painting is being
handled by Ivan Stratiev.
Dio was reportedly one of the very first heavy rock icons to
play Kavarna. In fact, he performed in Bulgaria no less than five
times and took an active part in the campaign for liberating the
Bulgarian nurses held in prison in Libya for eight years.
According to Standart News, the mayor of Kavarna, Tzonko
Tzonev, has managed to turn his life-long hobby — rock music
— into a successful and profitable project and thus pours funds
into the treasury of Kavarna Municipality. Thanks to Tzonev's
efforts, some of the greatest rock musicians of all time have come
and performed in the small coastal town of Kavarna.
Ronnie James Dio was one of rock's most respected and
talented frontmen, renowned for his instantly recognizable vocals,
lyrics and stagecraft. On May 16, 2010, Ronnie succumbed to
stomach cancer at the age of 67 and the world of hard rock lost one
of its greatest talents.
Replica of Ronnie James Dio statue - as displayed during Kavarna
Rock Fest in July.
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