Diana Ross Biography

Diana Ross started singing in a trio as a teenager, and in 1960 she and her two partners, Florence Ballard (1943-76) and Mary Wilson (b. 1944) were signed by Berry Gordy to Motown Records as The Supremes.

The group had 12 number one hits (1964-70), including “Baby Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love,” and were one of the most successful pop acts of the decade. Ross emerged as a solo artist in the ’70s with hits such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Touch Me in the Morning,” and received an Oscar nomination for her performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972).

During the ’80s she stayed on the charts and continued to tour, performing hits including “Endless Love,” “Upside Down” and “Chain Reaction.”

Like her good friend Michael Jackson, she became a favorite of the tabloids: in 1999 she was arrested for assaulting a security guard at London’s Heathrow Airport and in 2002 she interrupted a concert tour to enter a rehabilitation program for drug and alcohol abuse. In December of 2002 she was arrested in Arizona for driving drunk, resulting in jail time and treatment for alcohol abuse.

She bounced back in 2005 with a duet with Rod Stewart, “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” and in 2006 she made the jazz charts with her album Blue. She then released I Love You, an album of modern standards by the likes of Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Harry Nilsson and The Beatles.