Diana Ross Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Diana Ross is a singer-songwriter, actress, and a record producer. She was previously a member of the girl group, The Supremes (previously known as The Primettes). She is known for her hit songs like “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Baby Love”, “Theme from Mahogany”, “Love Hangover”, etc. She was named “Diane” by her mother but on her birth certificate, she is named as “Diana” because of typing error.

Sun Sign

Aries

Residence

Los Angeles, California, United States

Nationality

Education

Diana Ross went to the Cass Technical High School, which is a Detroit based preparatory magnet school. She graduated from the high school in January 1962.

Family

• Father – Fred Ross, Sr.
• Mother – Ernestine Ross
• Siblings – Barbara Ross-Lee (Older Sister) (Physician), Rita Ross (Younger Sister) (Schoolteacher), Fred Ross, Jr. (Younger Brother), Arthur ‘T-Boy’ Ross (Younger Brother) (Songwriter and Composer), Wilbert “Chico” Ross (Younger Brother) (Dancer)
• Others – Rev. William Edward Ross (Paternal Grandfather) (Baptist Minister), Ida D. J. W. Snead (Paternal Grandmother), Rev. M. William Moten (Maternal Grandfather), Isabella Collins (Maternal Grandmother)

Manager

Diana Ross is represented by The Fame Factory.

Genre

R&B, soul, disco, pop, dance

Instruments

Piano, vocals

Labels

Lu Pine, Motown, RCA, EMI Records

Boyfriend / Spouse

Diana Ross has dated

1. – As per the American publications, she has had an affair with the acting legend Warren Beatty.
2. – Diana Ross is rumored to have hooked up with English musician, John Taylor, who is the co-founder of the music group Duran Duran, in the past.
3. Smokey Robinson – According to rumors, Ross had an affair with singer and record producer, Smokey Robinson in the early phase of her music career. It has been claimed that this affair took place before she started going out with Gordy.
4. Eddie Kendricks – Diana is rumored to have hooked up with singer and songwriter Eddie Kendricks, who was a member of the vocal group The Temptations. His fellow band member Otis Williams had told the press that Kendricks had pursued her.
5. Berry Gordy (1965-1970) – In 1965, Diana started dating the founder and CEO of Motown Records, Berry Gordy. Their romantic relationship took their professional relationship to another level. Their relationship came to an end towards the end of 1970. However, by then, she was pregnant with his child. She gave birth to their daughter Rhonda Ross Kendrick in August 1971. Rhonda didn’t know that Gordy was her father until she reached the age of 13. Until then, she used to call Gordy Uncle B.B.
6. (1966) – According to reports, Diana had a short-lived affair with the actor Richard Gere in 1966.
7. Robert Ellis Silberstein (1971-1977) – In January 1971, Diana got married to the music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein. In 1972, she gave birth to their first and her second daughter, . In 1975, she gave birth to another baby girl, Chudney Lane Silberstein. However, their marriage didn’t last long after Chudney’s birth and they decided to divorce in 1977.
8. Arthur Ashe (1974-1975) – In 1974, Diana started dating American tennis player, Arthur Ashe. Their relationship is reported to have lasted for about a year as they decided to separate in October 1975.
9. Francesco Scavullo – Diana is reported to have gone out with the acclaimed photographer Francesco Scavullo towards the end of the 70s. They had come together after he had done a photoshoot for her album cover.
10. – Diana shared a very close relationship with pop legend Michael Jackson from the late seventies right up to his untimely death. She had first met Jackson on the sets of the movie, The Whiz. It has been often claimed that their close friendship did turn into something serious at one point in time. They had also hinted at their alleged past romantic equation in a couple of their interviews.
11. Ryan O’Neal (1979) – In 1979, Diana had a brief affair with actor Ryan O’Neal. It was reported that she had told her friends that she wanted to marry O’Neal.
12. (1980-1983) – In 1980, Diana started dating singer and guitarist, Gene Simmons, who is best known for being a member of the music band Kiss. It was widely claimed that they got together after , who had just broken up with Simmons, suggested that he should ask for Ross’s advise for her Christmas gift. However, this version is disputed. Simmons himself claimed in 2015 that he was dating Cher when he fell in love with Diana, which damaged her friendship with Cher. In 1983, she dumped Simmons as she felt that Simmons had started seeing Cher again.
13. – Diana Ross is rumored to have dated businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg, who is also known for having served as the Mayor of New York City for three consecutive terms from 2001, in the late nineties. The billionaire businessman has himself hinted at their romantic past by claiming that he once took her out for a date.
14. Arne Næss Jr. (1985-2000) – Diana started dating Norwegian billionaire, the shipping magnate Arne Næss, Jr. in October 1985. They got married in 1986. After their marriage, Diana became stepmother to his three children – Katinka, Christoffer, and Leona Naess, who is a folk singer. In 1987, she gave birth to their first son together – Ross Arne. She gave birth to  (who has earned fame as a singer) in 1988. Their one-and-a-half decades-long marriage came to an end in 2000. It was claimed that he had fathered a child with another woman, which prompted Ross to divorce him. She would later call him the love of her life.
15. (2005-2006) – The reports of Ross dating actor Jon Voight first started surfacing in September 2005. Their relationship was confirmed in November 2005 by her representative in a press statement. However, their relationship didn’t last long as they separated in the early months of 2006.

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Curly Hair
• Round Face

Brand Endorsements

Diana Ross has appeared in the TV commercials for the following brands –

• Pepsi
• Coca-Cola

Religion

She was raised in a Baptist household. As an adult, she has retained her faith in God.

Best Known For

• Being a member of the female singing group, The Supremes, which is best known for their tremendous success in the 60s. Along with selling millions of music albums, the band also released 12 singles that reigned at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
• Her tremendous success as a solo artist. She has released multiple chart-topping singles and has sold millions of record albums all over the world.

First Album

In 1962, her music group released their debut studio album, Meet The Supremes, which performed better in the United Kingdown than it did in the US. It was released in the UK in 1964 and peaked at 8 on the UK Albums Chart.

In 1970, she released her debut solo album, Diana Ross, which was a tremendous hit as it went on to sell more than 500,000 copies.

First Film

In 1965, Diana made her theatrical film debut in the musical comedy movie, Beach Ball. However, her appearance in the movie wasn’t credited.

In 1972, she made her first credited appearance in the lead role in the biographical drama movie, Lady Sings the Blues.

First TV Show

In October 1964, Diana Ross made her first TV show appearance as herself in the music TV series, Top of the Pops.

Diana Ross Facts

1. While studying in high school, she took classes in pattern making, tailoring, millinery, and clothing design. She also took modeling and cosmetology classes. She aspired to become a fashion designer.
2. In her teens, she worked at Hudson’s Department Store. It has been claimed by her biographers that she was the first black employee to be allowed to work outside the kitchen.
3. For some extra money, she also used to work as a hairdresser for the neighbors.
4. She was discovered by Paul Williams, who was a member of the male vocal group, The Primes. He brought her to the attention of the group’s manager Milton Jenkins.
5. At the age of 15, she was recruited by Jenkins for his female music group The Primettes, which served as the sister group of The Primes.
6. Although Diana Ross and her group impressed Berry Gordy, the founder of iconic Motown Records, he decided against signing them initially as they were too young and asked them to come back after completing high school.
7. Despite not being officially signed by Motown Records, the Primettes often used to visit their headquarters, where they offered extra help for the recordings. They worked as background vocals for the other artists.
8. In April 1974, she achieved the distinction of being the first African American woman to have served as a co-host at the Academy Awards. Her co-hosts at the event were , David Niven, and John Huston.
9. In 1980, she started negotiations to end her two-decades-long association with Motown Records. It has been claimed that she was reluctant to leave Motown Records and had asked Gordy whether he could match RCA Records’ offer.
10. In May 1981, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records that was worth $20 million. It was the highest paid recording contract in the history of the industry at that time.
11. Her second movie Mahogany was produced by Motown Records and was mired with directorial troubles. The original director Tony Richardson was fired during production and when Berry Gordy stepped in to assume director’s responsibility, he clashed with Ross, which led to her storming off and Gordy using a body double to complete the movie.
12. It was only after Rob Cohen cast her in the role of Dorothy in the film adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he was able to convince Universal Pictures to finance the project.
13. In 1981, she established her production company by the name of “Anaid Productions”. Anaid is the backward spelling of her name Diana.
14. In May 1982, she was honored with her star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. Overall, she has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her solo career and other as a member of The Supremes.
15. The Diana Ross Playground has been built in the Central Park. She had performed at a free concert to raise funds (through television rights) for building the playground but the first one was stopped because of bad weather and the second one which was held the following day didn’t raise enough funds. She later signed a check for $250,000 USD to then-mayor Ed Koch for funding the project.
16. She returned back to Motown Records, which was acquired by MCA Records, in the late eighties. As part of the record deal, she was offered shares in the company and was made the part owner of the label.
17. In 1994, she was asked to perform at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup, which was held in the US.
18. In 2002, she decided to admit herself into the 30 days rehab program at the Promises Institute in Malibu, California to take care of her alcohol problem. She left the program after three weeks to resume her music tour.
19. In August 2002, she returned to the Promises Institute and this time, she got herself in the substance abuse rehabilitation program.
20. In December 2002, she was arrested by Tuscon police after she failed breathalyzer test on being pulled over for driving the wrong way on a one-way street during her stay at Arizona’s Canyon Ranch Health Resort.
21. In January 2005, she launched her exclusive M.A.C. Icon makeup collection. It was a part of the Icon series released by the iconic beauty brand.
22. In September 1999, she was arrested for having grabbed airport security guard’s breast. Ross claimed that guard had touched her breast while frisking her as she had set off an airport metal detector.
23. In 1983, she launched her collection of pantyhose known as Diana Ross Ultra Sheers.
24. In 1993, she was recognized as the most successful female singer of all time by the Guinness Book of World Records.
25. In course of her music career, she has been nominated for the Grammy Awards on 12 occasions but has never managed to win any. Diana was awarded the honorary Grammy award for lifetime achievement in February 2012.
26. In November 2016, she was honored by the US President with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the ceremony held in East Room of the White House.
27. She has been recognized by the Billboard Magazine as the Female Entertainer of the Century.
28. Although she has achieved tremendous success as a singer, her father wasn’t thrilled with her decision to become a singer. In fact, he was furious with her decision.
29. Follow her on , , , , and .

Featured Image by Harry Wad / / CC BY 2.5