Motown

The supreme career of Motown powerhouse Diana Ross began 65 years ago, and Tuesday marks the legendary singer's 80th birthday. It's an occasion that's been ushered in by tributes from scores of music lovers, with perhaps the most personal coming from Ross' children. Born on March 26, 1944, Diana Ross is a mother of five: Rhonda, Tracee, Chudney, Ross, and Evan. In her tribute, Tracee celebrated Diana as both an influential triumph in the music industry who led the Supremes to become Motown's most successful act of the '60s, and also as a terrific mother. Celebrate the remarkable life of Diana Ross on her 80th birthday alongside her family! Tracee Ross and more celebrate Diana Ross on her 80th birthday View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) On Tuesday, Tracee took to Instagram to celebrate Ross on her 80th birthday with 80 remarkable pictures of the singer. "Oh how I love you Mom," Tracee captioned the post before sharing the photo quantity. RELATED: Diana Ross’s Children Are The Singer’s Greatest Pride And Joy She went on to discuss how she could look up facts about her life and the life of her mom. In the post, Tracee marveled at the incredible amount of work Ross got done in the span of less than ten years; Ross managed to "put out an album a year, did multiple tours, produced and starred in a variety of TV specials, shot Mahogany and The Wiz, produced her legendary 1983 Central Park concert with an estimated 800,000 attendees," and more. All this was when societal restrictions on what women could achieve were still fresh in the cultural landscape, Tracee noted. Even so, "By 1977, she’d launched herself into a wildly successful, independent life as an artist, a mother and a Black woman. She had a huge iconic career on her shoulders, with no manager, no partner, by the end of that decade no mother, and three little girls to raise." To celebrate Diana Ross is to honor the smaller yet just as powerful feats, especially when it comes to motherhood On her mother's 80th birthday, Tracee celebrated Diana Ross for her influence on music and for her stellar job as a parent / (c)Columbia TriStar Television/courtesy Everett Collection "And those are just some of the Google headlines," Tracee continued. "What’s not available on Google is that she was also waking us up for school (she is the best waker-upper), having family dinner and bath time, recording while we slept, planning our birthday parties, play dates, doctor’s appointments, settling arguments between siblings…you know, all the mom stuff." Tracee shared that Ross was always present and gave her kids as normal a childhood as possible / Kathy Hutchins / Hutchins Photo / ImageCollect So, as a career music artist, Ross has been named Female Entertainer of the Century by Billboard in 1976. She is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and 2023. For Tracee, she will also always be an "extremely present," supportive, inspiring mom. "Amidst shattering records, breaking glass ceilings, and setting a new bar for style and glamour, we, her children, were always her priority. As I often say, 'Diana Ross' the beloved global icon is legendary but she doesn’t hold a candle to my Mama," she concluded. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ms Ross ✨ (@dianaross) RELATED: Diana Ross Is Releasing Her First Album In 15 Years