The eminent lead singer of The Supremes Diana Ross grew up in a big family in Detroit. Growing up, future music star dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and even learned tailoring, which inspired her to be a stylist for her famous band in early years. When Diana was 15 years old, she joined The Primettes, a group of aspiring young vocalists, which later helped her music career. Luckily, The Ross family lived close to the famous producer Smokey Robinson, who noticed Diana and her group and decided to promote them.
Date of Birth: March 26, 1944
Zodiac Sign: Aries
But as we know Diana didn’t stop at The Supremes, she left the band in the beginning of 1970s to pursue her own career, which resulted in decades of her incredible artistry, including such iconic songs as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “I’m Coming Out”. Ross also got into acting, which gained her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her career is still an inspiration to many artists, and her legacy is continued by her children. Let’s find out more about Diana Ross’s background and talented family.
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Who are Diana Ross’ parents?
Fred Ross Sr. (father)
Date of Birth: July 4, 1920
Date of Death: November 21, 2007 (age 87)
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Fred’s younger years were spent in dreams of boxing. He was really good at this sport, but figured he needed a real job if he wanted a better life for himself. At 20, Fred majored in business administration and found a job at American Brass Company, which he briefly left to serve in World War II. After Ernestine’s untimely passing, Fred remained single and died at 87.
Ernestine Ross (mother)
Date of Birth: January 27, 1916
Date of Death: October 9, 1984 (age 68)
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Before meeting her future husband, Ernestine was a singer at local clubs. After the marriage, however, Ernestine decided to become a housewife to care for her family. Fred and Ernestine remained married until she died of breast cancer in 1984.
Diana Ross has 5 siblings: 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
Who are Diana Ross’ siblings?
Barbara Ross-Lee (older sister)
Date of Birth: June 1, 1942
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Barbara pursued medical career and became a renowned physician. After graduating with honors, she started working at the United States Department of Health and Human Services and encouraged diversity in the medical field. Barbara made history when she became the first African-American woman to receive the position of medical school’s dean in 2002.
Diana’s older sister is a happily married woman. Together with her husband Edmond Beverly she’s raised two daughters and three sons.
Rita Ross (younger sister)
Date of Birth: 1946
Rita dedicated her life to her home city. She dreamed of becoming a politician to serve her community. The youngest of Ross sisters worked her way up the political ladder and was even in the running to become a State Representative for Detroit. Rita prefers privacy, so not much is known about her personal life.
Fred Ross Jr. (younger brother)
Other than being related to the famous Diana Ross, people don’t know anything about the oldest Ross brother. However, he is alive, and, most likely, leads a quiet and private life.
Arthur “T-Boy” Ross (younger brother)
Date of Birth: February 28, 1949
Date of Death: April 22, 1996 (age 47)
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Similarly to his sister, Arthur had a musical career and even found relative success in the 1970s. However, he retired from music in the 1980s and moved to Detroit where he lived in seclusion from his family with his wife Patricia Ann Robinson. On April 22, 1996, Arthur and Patricia were found dead in the basement of an abandoned house in a criminal part of Detroit. The case of their death still remains unsolved.
Wilbur “Chico” Ross (younger brother)
Date of Birth: 1958
Diana’s youngest brother has a long history of drug addiction. In the 1980s, he’s lived off his famous sister, until she decided to stop financing his terrible habit, which forced him to live on the streets. Several journalists tracked down Chico in the 90s, he wasn’t doing well. However, it’s believed he reconciled with Diana as they were seen together in 2004 during a family sighting.
Who are Diana Ross’ husband?
Berry Gordy III (ex-partner)
Duration of Relations: 1965 till 1971
Date of Birth: November 28, 1929
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Diana and Berry got together in 1965. He was the CEO of the recording company Motown that managed The Supremes. They have been romantically involved for 6 years. In 1971, Diana got pregnant with her first child, Rhonda. That same year, Ross married her first husband Robert Ellis Silberstein, who knew that Rhonda was Gordy’s child, but decided to raise the girl as his own. Diana held the secret of Rhonda’s true paternity until she was 13 years old, despite Gordy being in his daughter’s life and posing as an uncle.
Diana with Berry and their daughter
Berry has been married and divorced three times and has eight children, including Rhonda.
Robert Ellis Silberstein (former spouse)
Duration of Marriage: 1971 – 1977 (6 years)
Date of Birth: January 5, 1946
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein and Diana Ross started going out when she was still involved with Berry Gordy. Silberstein’s love prevailed and he was the one to make Diana his wife. Together they had two girls, Tracee and Chudney. Although the couple divorced in 1977, they remained best friends and continue to raise their children together. Diana’s oldest daughter Rhonda still considers Robert as her real father.
Robert with daughters
Since his divorce with Ross, Silberstein hasn’t remarried and fathered no more children.
Arne Naess Jr. (former spouse)
Duration of Marriage: 1986 – 2000 (14 years)
Date of Birth: December 8, 1937
Date of Death: January 13, 2004 (age 66)
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Arne was a Norwegian businessman, whom Diana still considers him the love of her life. The couple got married in 1986. Through their marriage, Ross became a stepmother to his three children from a previous marriage, and remains close with them. Together they had two boys, Ross and Evan. Diana and Arne divorced in 2000 after she heard rumors about him fathering another child in Norway. After their split, Næss had two more children.
He passed away in 2004 as a result of a climbing accident in South Africa.
Diana Ross has 5 kids: 3 daughters and 2 sons.
Who are Diana Ross’ children?
Rhonda Ross Kendrick (born Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein; daughter with Berry Gordy)
Date of Birth: August 14, 1971
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Diana Ross’s oldest daughter lived without knowing who her real father was for 13 years. She was relieved to find out the truth as she was noticing differences between her and her sisters. Rhonda is an actress and a musician and continues to release music to this day. Her husband is a jazz musician Rodney Kendrick. They got married in 1996, but became parents only in 2009, when Rhonda gave birth to their son Raif-Henok Emmanuel.
Tracee Ellis Ross (born Tracee Joy Silberstein; daughter with Robert Ellis Silberstein)
Date of Birth: October 29, 1972
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Tracee is perhaps the most famous out of Diana’s children. She’s received acclaim for her role in Girlfriends, a successful show about four African-American women. In 2014, Ellis Ross joined Black-ish, which quickly became a cultural and critical hit and even gained Tracee a Golden Globes award. Although Tracee is in her mid-forties, she remains unmarried and childless.
Chudney Ross (born Chudney Lane Silbertsein; daughter with Robert Ellis Silberstein)
Date of Birth: November 4, 1975
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Diana’s youngest daughter Chudney works as a television producer and leads relatively private life. She often works with her sister Tracee, who’s a television star. Chudney is married to Joshua Faulkner since 2015. The couple had their daughter Callaway Lane in 2012.
Ross Arne Naess (son with Arne Naess Jr.)
Date of Birth: October 7, 1987
Zodiac Sign: Libra
Just like the rest of his family, Ross works in show business. He’s a movie and television producer, and known for his work on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Ross married his wife Kimberly Ryan in 2017 after dating her for over 11 years.
Evan Ross (born Evan Olav Naess; son with Arne Naess Jr.)
Date of Birth: August 26, 1988
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
The youngest of Diana Ross’ children is enjoying a successful career as an actor. He’s even appeared on Girlfriends with his older half-sister Tracee. Evan is currently producing and starring in his own reality TV show Ashlee+Evan, which follows his daily life with wife Ashlee Simpson, whom he married in 2014. The couple’s son Jagger Snow was born in 2015. Evan is also a stepdad to Ashlee’s son Bronx Mowgli from the previous marriage.
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