- Has been nominated for 12 Grammy awards, but never won.
- She has two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame, one for her work with The Supremes and one for her solo career.
- When interviewed on the TV show American Idol (2002), she explained that her hit song, "Missing You", was in memory of her good friend, Marvin Gaye.
- Intended to call her third daughter (born in 1975) "Chutney", yet misspelled the name as "Chudney" on the birth certificate.
- Was honoured by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993 as the most successful female singer of all time.
- Is one of 9 African-American actresses to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. The others in chronological order are: Dorothy Dandridge, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Gabourey Sidibe and Viola Davis.
- Is the most successful female recording artist ever with 18 US #1 hits and 70 top 10 hits since 1964
- In 2013, sold out the Hollywood Bowl with 20,000 seats.
- As of Lena Horne's passing in 2010, Diana is the last surviving principal cast member of The Wiz (1978).
- Mother of Rhonda Ross Kendrick ( with Berry Gordy but raised as Robert Silberstein's daughter because Diana married Robert in Jan 1971 before Rhonda's birth ). From her marriage to Robert Ellis Silberstein, she has daughters Tracee Ellis Ross (b. October 29, 1972) and Chudney Ross (b. 4 November 1975). With her second 16-year marriage to Norwegian shipping millionaire Arne Naess Jr, she has sons Ross Naess (b. 7 October 1987) and Evan Ross (b. 26 August 1988).
- Entered Malibu, CA drug and alcohol rehab Promises center May 20, 2002 prior to start of global summer tour.
- Made her first solo TV appearance with Lucille Ball and Dinah Shore.
- Performed a memorable free concert through a terrible storm in New York City's Central Park in the summer of 1983. The storm caused much damage to the park, and she agreed to pony up the costs of repair a few years later.
- Won her first Grammy award in 2012.
- 10 days after the terrorist attack (9-11), she sang, "God Bless America", at Shea Stadium in New York City, New York. (September 21, 2001)
- Billboard Magazine named her Female Entertainer of The Century.
- Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Martin Scorsese, and Brian Wilson.
- Sister of Barbara Ross (doctor), Rita Ross (schoolteacher), Fred Ross, Jr., Arthur 'T-Boy' Ross (successful Motown songwriter), and Wilbert "Chico" Ross (a dancer on Ross' tours).
- She and The Supremes had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") 17 times from 1964-1969.
- Mother-in-law of Ashlee Simpson.
- Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Supremes) in 1988.
- In 1972 she and Cicely Tyson were nominated for the same "Best Actress in a Leading Role" award category (for different roles, in different films), for the same performing, nomination, and award year for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), more commonly known as the Oscars. This was only the second time in the history of the Academy Awards that African-American actresses had been nominated in the "Best Actress" Academy Award/Oscars category, although there had been several nominations in best supporting actress categories. The first, and only previous, female nominee in the best, or leading actress category, had been Dorothy Dandridge's nomination for Carmen Jones (1954). Coincidentally, the same two actresses, Ross and Tyson, were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in the same ceremony, from President Barack Obama, in his final "class," or group, on November 22, 2016.
- A member of The Supremes from 15 January 1961 - 14 January 1970.
- Lives in Manhattan's renowned Beresford apartment building, northwest corner of 81st St. and Central Park West, which is also the residence of Jerry Seinfeld, Glenn Close and other celebrities.
- When she was with The Supremes the group had 12 #1 songs and 18 top ten songs in the US.
- Her decision in becoming a singer infuriated her father.
- Daughter Tracee Ellis Ross had previously been best known to the public for her starring role as "Joan Clayton" on Girlfriends (2000), but as of 2014/2015/2016, Tracee Ellis Ross is best known to the public for her starting role as Rainbow "Bow" Johnson, on Black-ish (2014).
- In 1983 introduced a line of pantyhose "Diana Ross Ultra Sheers"
- Is on the board of A Better Chance, the only national program that recruits and places academically talented inner city children in the nation's best prepatatory schools.
- Classmate and former neighbors of Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, who later joined Ross in The Supremes.
- Moved to Detroit's Brewster Projects on the exact day of her fourteenth Birthday, in 1958.
- Her ex-husband, Arne Naess Jr., died on 13th January, 2004 in a climbing accident in South Africa.
- Renewed vows with now-ex-husband Arne Naess Jr. on 1 February 1986 in Switzerland.
- In January 1965 Music Business Magazine named The Supremes the #1 Female Soul Artist.
- The Supremes were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- Release of her book, "Secrets of a Sparrow: Memories". (1993)
- Sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 1982
- Ross is the 2nd of six children born to Baptist family by Fred Ross Sr. and Ernestine Moten in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in in Detroit's Brewster Housing Projects.
- In February 2012, Ross received her first ever Grammy Award, for Lifetime Achievement, and announced the nominees for the Album of the Year.
- Received the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Walk of Fame Award. (October 23, 1999)
- Ranked #38 on VH1's Greatest Women of Rock N Roll
- She announced that she was leaving The Supremes in order to pursue a solo career, but the last Supremes concert with Ross was played on January 14, 1970, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. [8 November 1969].
- Ranked #86 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists in 2002.
- Won a Special Tony Award in 1977.
- Is portrayed by Holly Robinson Peete in The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992).
- In 1991, Ross became one of the few American artists to have headlined the annual Royal Variety Performance, when she performed a selection of her UK hits in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London.
- Her 1981 song "I'm Coming Out" was used in The Princess Diaries (2001) trailer and in the Maid in Manhattan (2002) soundtrack, which was revived by Amerie.
- Performed the half-time show on Super Bowl. (1996)
- She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content