Rock Candy

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA-AUGUST 10: Ronnie James Dio performs on stage with Heaven and Hell during their Heaven and Hell 2007 tour at Rod Laver Arena on August 10, 2007 in Melbourne, Australia. Heaven and Hell is a musical collaboration featuring Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with former members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Ronnie James Dio passed away eight years ago today (May 16), and what better way to salute the icon than by honoring the beloved gesture that he made famous.

That’s right…that Dio made famous, not you Mr. Gene Simmons.

Check out the video below of Dio talking about the now infamous backstory behind the gesture.  (Little did Dio’s grandmother know she’d have such an influence on the metal community.)

We invite everyone to take to social media today and post a photo throwing horns in honor of Dio, if only to cut through all the “celebrity” drama that seems to flood news feeds every day.

That Metal Show | Ronnie James Dio On "Horns" Origins | VH1

American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter Ronnie James Dio talks about how his grandmother popularized the "metal horns" hand gesture within the culture. Subscribe to VH1: http://on.vh1.com/subscribe Shows + Pop Culture + Music + Celebrity. VH1: We complete you.

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock news blogger who's well versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice.