Ross, Diana (1944– )

US popular singer and film actor. Lead singer of the extremely successful trio The Supremes, she went solo in 1969, recording the hits ‘Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand’, ‘Touch Me in the Morning’, and ‘Ain't No Mountain High Enough’ in the 1970s. She took a new direction in the early 1980s with the disco album Diana (1980), which included the hits ‘Upside Down’ and ‘I'm Coming Out’.

Between her Supremes and solo work, she achieved 18 US number one hit singles, making her the most successful female music artist of the 20th century, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Ross was born in Detroit, Michigan. She portrayed singer Billie Holiday in the film Lady Sings the Blues (1972). By the late 1970s she achieved superstar status with live and televised concerts, for example An Evening with Diana Ross (1977), which earned her a Tony Award. She recorded the hit ‘Muscles’ in 1982, written by Michael Jackson. Her discography also includes a 1973 collection of duets with Marvin Gaye, Diana & Marvin. She achieved a number one hit in the UK with ‘Chain Reaction’ (1986).