I managed to muddle my way through my workday, despite getting an e-mail from my little brother Rich first thing this morning with the news of the passing of Ronnie James Dio.

I e-mailed him back, “That is a real kick in the nuts right there.”

To which he replied, “Square in the nuts.”

Yes, we Vinoskis are sensitive, expressive and taciturn, all at once.

My pal Scott summed things up nicely, too.  “In that family of groundbreaking vocalists, he was my number one.  Yeah Dickinson can get it done and Meine gets the hair on my neck standing up, but Dio’s versatility hit me when I was learning how to listen. ”

RIP, RJD.  “Long Live Rock And Roll.”