Diana Ross led the Supremes to twelve number-one hits -- more than any American group except the Beatles -- and then walked away and did it again as a solo artist. The hair. The gowns. The ambition. She made being a star look like a birthright, and she paid for it with a drive that made the people around her uncomfortable.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough. Touch Me in the Morning. Love Hangover. Upside Down. Then she acted -- Lady Sings the Blues earned an Oscar nomination. Mahogany. The Wiz. She played Central Park in 1983 in a driving rainstorm, hair plastered, gown soaked, refusing to leave until the police made her. She came back the next day and played for 400,000 people.
Diana Ross was ambitious in a way that made people uncomfortable, especially a Black woman in the 1960s and 70s. She wasn't always kind. She wasn't always fair. But she was undeniable. The Boss. The title was earned.
Diana Ross -- twelve number ones with the Supremes, then did it again alone. Lady Sings the Blues. Played Central Park in a monsoon. The Boss.