Ronnie James Dio rocks on as a hologram at German festival

Late rocker Ronnie James Dio was resurrected in hologram form on Saturday (06Aug16) to help close out the Wacken Open Air music festival in Germany.
The star lost his battle with stomach cancer in 2010, aged 67, but six years on, the heavy metal icon returned from beyond the grave to rock on once more with his former Dio bandmates, who have since regrouped as Dio Disciples, managed by Ronnie’s widow, Wendy.
Wendy Dio helped to bring her husband – and his vocals – back to life with the help of experts at Eyellusion, and she is now planning to take the hologram on tour with the Dio Disciples next year (17), reports Billboard.com.
“When I first experienced the full production of Ronnie performing with his band as a hologram, I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears…,” she explained. “We have been able to get Ronnie back up on stage where he belongs, ensuring that his music and memory live on.”
Dio Disciples guitarist Craig Goldy added: “We know how much the fans miss Ronnie and the special and unequaled element that he brought to his live performances. Being able to recreate that same kind of magic for his fans at Wacken was incredible.
“For so many years Ronnie always invested big in his live shows as his way to give back to the fans, and that is exactly what we aimed to do with this latest performance. We can’t wait to bring this experience to even more of his fans and perhaps even a newer generation when we bring this incredible live experience on the road next year.”
The Wacken festival also featured performances by Iron Maiden, Ministry, Testament, and Bullet For My Valentine.
Dio isn’t the first late musician to be born again as a hologram – Michael Jackson, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Tupac Shakur have all been given the hi-tech treatment, while Whitney Houston and Notorious B.I.G.’s estate executives are also working on digital versions of the stars for future shows.