Diana Ross is a well-known American singer and actress whose illustrious career has irrevocably changed the entertainment industry.
She was the main vocalist of the vocal powerhouse The Supremes when she first rose to fame on March 26, 1944. As one of the best-selling female groups of all time, this legendary quartet was instrumental in Motown’s popularity in the 1960s. They have achieved tremendous things, like having twelve singles that reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The Supremes have an incomparable heritage and are known as the best-charting female group in history.
Diana Ross started a solo music career in 1970, which increased her notoriety and cemented her place in music history. Her self-titled debut solo album served as the catalyst for her remarkable journey, with timeless classics like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” which became her first solo U.S. number-one hit, and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).”
Her first UK number-one song, “I’m Still Waiting,” was made popular by her second solo album, “Everything Is Everything,” which was released in 1970. Diana Ross maintained her star power by releasing a run of successful albums, including as “Touch Me in the Morning” (1973), “Mahogany” (1975), “Diana Ross” (1976), and “Diana” (1980). Some of the top-charting songs from these albums include “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To),” “Love Hangover,” and “Upside Down.” Notably, “Endless Love” (1981), a duet with Lionel Richie, made her the female solo performer with the most number-one songs in the United States at the time. Her economic success lasted with international songs throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Diana Ross demonstrated her remarkable acting skills in addition to her music career. She was nominated for an Academy Award and received a Golden Globe Award for her depiction of Billie Holiday in the 1972 movie “Lady Sings the Blues.” She contributed to the soundtrack of the movie as well, which turned out to be her lone solo album to top the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. She played prominent characters in movies including “Mahogany” (1975) and “The Wiz” (1978), as well as in television movies like “Out of Darkness” (1994).
The influence Diana Ross has had on the entertainment business is enormous. She was recognized by Billboard as the “Female Entertainer of the Century” in 1976. She has released an incredible 25 studio albums since making her solo debut in 1970, along with other successful singles and compilations that have helped sell more than 100 million records worldwide.
She is the only female musician to have had number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 as a soloist, a duet partner, a trio member, and an ensemble member, among other impressive accomplishments. She was ranked as the 30th best musician to ever appear on the Hot 100 by Billboard in 2021. Her position among the Top 5 artists on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from 1955 to 2018 was further cemented by her chart-topping hits as a Supreme as a solo performer.
There are numerous awards for Diana Ross. As a member of The Supremes, she was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and she has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She has received numerous honors for her contributions to the arts, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and two Grammy Awards in 2023 (the latter as a member of The Supremes, a first). Diana Ross is a living legend who is revered for her extraordinary accomplishments in both music and movies. She continues to be an inspiration to fans and artists of all generations.
Is Diana Ross Married and Who Is Her Husband?
Five children and two marriages later, Diana Ross is a mother of five. Berry Gordy, the president of Motown, and Ross started dating in 1965. Ross’s oldest child, Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein, was born in August 1971 as a result of their lengthy relationship. Ross married music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein in the first trimester of her pregnancy with Rhonda in January 1971.
Rhonda was lovingly reared by Robert with the knowledge that he was indeed her father. Ross didn’t tell that Gordy was Rhonda’s biological father until she turned 13 though. Rhonda had been calling Gordy “Uncle B.B.” with affection before this discovery.
Ross had two children with Robert Ellis Silberstein, Tracee Joy Silberstein (also known as Tracee Ellis Ross) and Chudney Lane Silberstein, who were born in 1972 and 1975, respectively. 1977 saw the dissolution of Ross and Silberstein’s union.
Ross dated Gene Simmons, the bassist and co-lead singer of the rock band Kiss, from the beginning of the 1980s until 1983. When Cher, who remained friends with Simmons after their breakup, suggested that Simmons ask Ross for help choosing her Christmas present, their romance started.
In his autobiography, Simmons insisted that Cher wasn’t his girlfriend at the time he first met Ross. Ross accidentally gave Simmons the impression that he had resumed his romance with Cher, which forced her to end their relationship. Simmons provided a different narrative in 2015, admitting that he fell in love with Ross while Ross was still seeing Cher. This ultimately caused Ross and Cher’s friendship to suffer.
The Norwegian shipping tycoon Arne Naess Jr. and Ross first met in 1985; they were wed the following year. The three older children of Arne Nss Jr.—Katinka, Christoffer, and folk singer Leona Naess—were given to Ross through this union.
Ross Arne (born in 1987) and Evan Olav (born in 1988) are the couple’s two kids. Diana Ross and Arne Nss Jr. However, following public accusations that Nss had fathered a child with another lady in Norway, Ross and Nss separated in 2000. Ross has said that Nss is the love of her life, despite the divorce. Tragically, Nss died in South Africa in 2004 while mountain climbing. But Ross still keeps in touch with her three former stepchildren.
With seven grandchildren in her family, Diana Ross is also a proud grandma. She has several grandchildren, including Raif-Henok (born in 2009 to her daughter Rhonda), Leif (born on June 5, 2016), and Indigo (born in 2017) for her son Ross Nss, Callaway Lane (born in 2012) and Everlee (born in October 2019) for her daughter Chudney, Jagger Snow (born in 2015), and Ziggy (born in 2020) for her son Evan.