One of the most exciting things about the latest season of Stranger Things is that there’ve been a couple of rock and metal call outs, especially related to the character Eddie Munson. One of the bands referenced was Dio, and Wendy Dio assured that Ronnie would’ve loved seeing his group acknowledged in the show.
In the Netflix series, Munson’s character sports a denim jacket with a huge Dio patch on the back, which was donated to them for use by the Ronnie James Dio estate.
“What happened was, originally, this was before the pandemic hit. So this was like two, two-and-a-half years ago. They contacted me because I had to sign the license, because you can’t just use a Dio product without a license,” Dio’s widow recalled in a new interview with Loudwire Nights host Toni Gonzalez.
As a result, she sent the show creators actual vintage pieces from her husband’s estate — including the patch that appears on Munson’s jacket, which you can see an image of below.
“They were very happy and they were very thankful, and they sent me a bunch of Stranger Things stuff, so it was really wonderful. I was so happy because then I didn’t see or hear about anything, and I thought, ‘Oh, I guess they didn’t use it.’ And then suddenly now, after the pandemic, I saw it and I was like, ‘Oh my god this is so wonderful, I’m so happy about it.’ Ronnie would’ve been so… he would’ve loved that.”
Dio will also receive a nod in the upcoming Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder, which will be in theaters July 8. The mega hit “Rainbow in the Dark” is going to be played during the movie’s credits.
“Dio is happening right now, I’m so glad,” Wendy continued. “The younger kids’ generation, I think it’s the first time in history where the kids are listening to their parents’ music.”
Wendy and company will also be holding a special celebration in July to commemorate what would’ve been the late vocalist’s 80th birthday. Follow @LoudwireNights on Twitter for more details on when you can tune in to hear the full interview.
Loudwire Nights with Toni Gonzalez airs nightly at 7PM ET. Tune in anytime from anywhere right here or with the Loudwire app.
