“Ronnie was a proper rock’n’roller, a true knight of the highest order, a great singer and frontman who walked the walk. He was the real deal and he will always be missed.” That’s what Lemmy had to say about Ronnie James Dio. And Motörhead, with Saxon’s Biff Byford in tow, paid tribute to him by covering Rainbow’s “Starstruck” for the upcoming Dio tribute album, Ronnie James Dio… This is Your Life. 

Here’s what Byford had to say about the cover, which premiered on Yahoo! today:

The ‘Lady Starstruck’ harks back to a time of groupies and rock ‘n’ roll excess of the ’70s and ’80s. This song has great riffs, and great vocals to go along with it, so it was really cool to sing the song and be a part of the compilation.

Having come up around the same time Rainbow did, Byford’s in a position to be able to judge, and seeing what a killer lineup of artists that Wendy Dio was able to line up for the tribute bears out how beloved Dio was. Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.

This is Your Life will be released on April 1 on Rhino. Proceeds from the album benefit the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.