Dean Schachtel, Ronnie James Dio’s Right-Hand Man, Dies at 49

Mere hours after the conclusion of this year's Ronnie James Dio memorial event, one of the people most instrumental for its planning and implementation suddenly passed away.

Dean Schachtel, GM of Dio's Niji Entertainment Group and a board member of the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund established in his memory, has died at the age of 49. Schachtel's wife Teresa shared the news via Facebook in a post quoted by Billboard which reads in part, "It is with shock and sadness that I tell you that my husband Dean Schachtel has passed away today ... please know that he was a wonderful man who will now be with his maker."

Schachtel had a deep music industry background, working in radio before migrating to posts within the Warner Music family and moving on to the Dio organization, where he helped run Dio's label and management company as well as handling his social media presence. A friend as much as an employee, Schachtel named Dio the godfather of his son, Zander.

Schachtel's sudden passing came as an awful shock to his many friends and colleagues — some of whom were on hand last weekend at the memorial event, where he continued his tireless work on behalf of Dio's legacy. The outpouring of social media messages lamenting Schachtel's death includes tweets from That Metal Show host Eddie Trunk, who was a major part of the event.

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