How much is Diana Ross worth?
| Net Worth: | $240 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Singer |
| Date of Birth: | March 26, 1944 (age 78) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5 ft 4 in (1.64 m) |
About Diana Ross
The multi-talented Diana finally found global fame as the lead singer of “The Supremes” in the 1960s. The girl group quickly became one of the world’s best-selling groups of all time and to this day, they are still one of the best charting girl groups in US history.
At the height of her career, it is estimated that Diana Ross earned income equal to a salary of $40 million dollars per year.
She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan on March 26, 1944. Her career started when she was just 15 years old. At that time, she joined a sister group called the Primes, which served as the sister act of the Primes (later the Temptations). The group consisted of Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown.
After the group signed with Motown Records, in 1961, they started using the name The Supremes. Just a year after that, Barbara Martin (who had replaced McGlown) left the act, and then the group was turned into a trio consisting of Ballard, Ross, and Wilson.
The Supremes went on to achieve mainstream success during the mid-1960s. Considering Ross was the lead singer and contributed so much to the band’s success, Motown Records decided to rename them Diana Ross & the Supremes. Around the same time, the label president Berry Gordy also replaced Florence Ballard with Cindy Birdsong.
The Supremes went on to release many hit singles that topped international music charts. “Baby Love”, “I Hear a Symphony”, Love Child”, and “Someday We’ll Be Together” are just four of their twelve songs that not only became worldwide hits but topped many different music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100.
After spending more than 10 years with the band, Diana Ross left the group in January 1970 as she wanted to pursue her solo music career. She was replaced by Jean Terrell and the group became The Supremes once again.
Continuing the momentum that she scored with the girl band, Diana Ross quickly released her first solo studio album. The eponymous album included some of her signature songs – “Reach Out and Touch”, and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“, which became her first single to debut at the number one position at Billboard Hot 100.
Her Diana Ross eponymous album became her first of 24 music albums that were very successful.
Besides being a fantastic singer, the talented star also began acting and has received many awards and accomplishments for her acting skills. Among some of her most notable roles are in television series and films are from Lady Sings the Blues, Mahogany, The Wiz and Out of Darkness. Besides a Golden Globe Award, Ross has been nominated for the likes of Academy, Grammy, Saturn and Tony Awards.
Just a year later, after she released her second solo album, Ross starred in her solo television special which was called Diana!. In 1972, Motown Records issued a duet album between Diana and Marvin Gaye. In 1973, Ross became the first-ever entertainer in the history of Japan to receive an invitation to the spectacular Imperial Palace.
In April 1974, at the 46th Academy Awards, Ross made history by becoming the first African-American woman to ever co-host the awards. Her most successful album to date, Diana, was released in 1980. While she was constantly releasing hit singles and music albums, Ross also began appearing more on various television series and films.
The first film in which she starred in was Lady Sings the Blue, which premiered in 1971. Besides appearing and playing some interesting roles in films and series, Ross had a huge success with the movie-themed songs. Among some of them are Good Morning Heartache, and Theme for Mahogany.
Diana Ross has a wonderful voice and incredible stage presence. Her hard-working and perfectionist attitude resulted in some of the most incredible performances of the 1960s. Later serving as a major influence for artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna.
It didn’t take long for Diana Ross to become successful. As soon as she left The Supremes, the talented artist gained a lot of popularity for her fun and caring personality, as well as her stunning acting and singing abilities. Just before she turned 40 years old, Ross was honored with her own star on the widely-known Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her net worth was estimated to be $65 million dollars at that time.
Throughout the 90s and early 00s, Ross continued to act in several films and series, while never stopping to release new music. In 1991, she became one of the few artists to headline the Royal Variety Performance, during which she performed for many royalties, including Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II.
Besides releasing 24 studio albums, Ross has released 5 soundtrack albums and 5 live albums. She also embarked on more than 20 different tours, which she headlined, with the last one being Top of the World Tour from 2020.
Ross’ Total Net Worth
Diana Ross has earned estimated total career income of $400 million dollars. Ross was earning large sums of money even as far back as the late 1980s when she signed a $20 million, seven-year contract with RCA Records. As she has lived in the state of Connecticut but also earned in years when federal taxes were high, she will have had to pay around 48% in taxes on her career income. After tax, it is estimated that her career earnings are at around $208 million dollars, having paid $192 million dollars in taxes.
Diana Ross married Robert Ellis Silberstein in 1971 and they divorced six years later, in 1977. They had children together, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chudney Ross and Rhonda Ross Kendrick. As part of the divorce settlement, it is estimated that Diana paid Robert no more than $3 million dollars.
She later married Arne Naess, Jr. in 1985 and they divorced fifteen years later, in 2000. As Arne was worth around $450 million dollars at the time, Diana received $40,000 per month in child support for their two children, twins Evan Ross and Ross Naess. As Arne died four years later in 2004, it is unclear if the money also stopped at that time and/or if Diana made an additional claim.
In her personal life Diana has likely spent $12-17 million dollars of her career earnings but also earned $50 million dollars from her investments. She will have also had to pay around $4-5 million dollars in business related costs. Therefore, it is estimated that Diana Ross has a net worth of about $240 million dollars.
Summing-Up
Diana Ross is so much more than a popular artist with many hit singles and albums. Often dubbed of the mightiest pop divas from the 60s, this megastar has been cited multiple times as one of the main inspirations for famous artists such as Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and, Madonna, among many others. She’s been named multiple times one of the best artists and dancers of all time.
Thanks to her successful singing career, Ross was also awarded a Guinness World Record for having more than 70 hit singles in charts, a record that remains unbeaten. Also, because of her incredible acting skills, Diana Ross is considered to be one of the most influential female entertainers of the 20th century.
