Former DIO members Rudy Sarzo (bass), Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) will be joining forces with singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and Toby Jepson (FASTWAY, LITTLE ANGELS, GUN) for a number of shows in Europe under the name DIO DISCIPLES.

Ronnie James Dio's widow and manager Wendy remarked: "There will never be another Ronnie, but we want to keep his music alive and hope you will support the band and become one of the DIO DISCIPLES. We will post the UK/European tour dates as they are confirmed, and we are planning some US dates also. Hope to see you at one of the shows."

A Ronnie James Dio tribute album is in the works by Dio's widow Wendy according to a new interview by Noisecreep's Steve Baltin.

"It probably won't come out this year, but everybody signed up," Dio told Noisecreep.

So, who's signed on thus far? "Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST), Glenn Hughes, Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS), Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD)," she said, adding Grohl will do the Black Sabbath hit 'Mob Rules,' and Halford will be taking on 'Long Live Rock 'N' Roll.' And artists keep coming on. "I just talked to ALICE (COOPER), roped Alice in and SEBASTIAN (BACH) and Chris (Jericho)," she said, referring to fellow attendees at the Golden Gods press conference. And Cooper already has a song in mind, going back to the Elf days, according to Wendy.

Read the entire interview at Noisecreep.

Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio, the revealing memoir of the heavy metal master, will be published in the spring of 2012 via MTV Books.

An excerpt from a press release reads: "with nearly five decades of worldwide success and album sales in the tens of millions as the front man of ELF, RAINBOW, DIO, BLACK SABBATH, and, most recently, HEAVEN & HELL, Ronnie James Dio grabbed the mic, took the stage, and led a movement whose influence resonates to this day. In Rainbow In The Dark, Dio himself will introduce the reader to this incredible life and the over 50 photographs included will provide readers with an unprecedented all-access pass to the rock concert of a lifetime."