Ronnie James Dio battling stomach cancer

• Tweet

HOUSTON, May 16 (UPI) -- The wife of heavy metal rocker Ronnie James Dio says her husband is "not doing good" in a Houston hospital where he is battling stomach cancer.

The 67-year-old lead singer for DIO, Heaven & Hell, Black Sabbath and Rainbow revealed last month that he has been undergoing cancer treatment at Houston's M.D. Anderson hospital for about six months.

Roadrunner Records' Web site, Blabbermouth.net, received word from Dio's wife and manager Wendy Dio Saturday night quashing an Internet rumor that her husband had died.

"I am at the hospital and Ronnie has NOT passed away," she wrote. "He is not doing good, but he is not dead."

Heaven & Hell -- which includes Dio's former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice -- canceled its summer European Tour because of Dio's health, Blabbermouth.net reported.

In a statement, the band said Dio wasn't "well enough to tour this summer. We hope that everyone understands and want to thank fans and industry colleagues for their continuing support at this time."