As superstar singer Diana Ross reaches a milestone birthday, she shows no signs of slowing down. Why would she, if the secret of her success is having fun?
WORDS: EVE MACDONALD PHOTOS: REX/ SHUTTERSTOCK, GETTY, ALAMY
SHOWBIZ LEGEND
Diana Ross famously said, “You can’t just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You’ve got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.” And that is exactly what the Michigan-born star did. With a career spanning over six decades, Diana has achieved worldwide recognition as the lead singer of Motown group the Supremes, a solo artist, record producer and as an Oscar-nominated actress. So, as her 80th birthday approaches on 26 March, she has more than earned some time to take her foot off the pedal.
But that’s not to say the entertainment powerhouse is ready to slow down anytime soon. In fact, Diana — who is estimated to be worth a staggering $250 million — doesn’t even see what she does as work.
“I’m only doing it because I want to do it, so it’s not really work. I mean, it used to be work,” she once told Interviewmagazine. “Do you know what I mean? Now the show is set and when I walk out on the stage I’m really having fun.”
But it’s her journey from humble beginnings to untouchable icon that has captivated fans across the world — and it is one that has been filled with not only stratospheric success but systemic racism, sexism and persecution, as she rose her way to the top.
Diana was the second of six children born to Ernestine and Fred Ross Sr in 1944, but her iconic name was a complete accident — her mother named her Diane, but a typo on her birth certificate meant she was registered “Diana”. The star then spent her teenage years with her family in the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects — dubbed as being built for the “working poor”.
She later sparked up a friendship with fellow Motown star Smokey Robinson — who shockingly alleged just last year that he had had an “affair” with Diana. That friendship was said to be one of the keys to Diana’s dazzling future, as Smokey introduced her to Motown supremo, Berry Gordy.
After she joined a music group named the Primettes, with local girls from her neighbourhood, Smokey brought the band to Motown Records and introduced them to its founder, Berry. They then signed a contract and adopted the name the Supremes. The rest, one might say, is history.
