Michael Jackson’s love for Diana Ross was no secret, he showed it to the world. She was his muse, his obsession, his greatest inspiration. But Diana? She kept her silence. Their bond lived only in whispers, hidden between lyrics and buried in rumors. Now, at 81, Diana Ross finally breaks her silence.
Was she his mentor? His mother figure? Or the love of his life? Join us as we reveal the truth behind Michael Jackson and Diana Ross’s secret connection. A Bond Like No Other Diana Ross, fourteen years older than Michael Jackson, held a unique place in his life. To Michael, she was everything at once: his mother, mentor, lover, and closest friend.
She was the dream woman who seemed just out of reach, a guiding star he admired and cherished from childhood into adulthood. Their bond was complicated, emotional, and unlike any other relationship he had ever had. Their story began in 1969 when the Jackson 5 signed with Motown. Michael, barely eleven, already had a voice and stage presence that mesmerized everyone.
Motown founder Berry Gordy, who had his own past with Diana Ross, recognized the young boy’s star potential. For publicity, Motown claimed that Diana Ross had “discovered” the Jackson 5, but the truth was different. It was actually Gladys Knight and Suzanne de Passe who first spotted the family’s talent.
Even though Michael’s age was adjusted for the cameras, he was presented as nine years old, even though he was actually eleven. Despite the Motown PR story, Michael’s connection with Diana was real. In 1969, he moved into her home and lived there for about a year until his family relocated permanently from Gary, Indiana, to Encino, California. During that time, he called her “Mamma” and sometimes even “his girlfriend.
” His mother, Katherine Jackson, wrote in her book that Michael had always adored Diana. He even teased his younger sisters, La Toya and Janet, saying, “You’re not pretty until you start looking like Diana.” This was a reflection of how deeply he idolized her beauty, charm, and grace. Diana Ross became more than just a star to Michael; she became a mentor and a guide in his early career.
She provided professional advice and emotional support, helping him navigate the pressures of fame at a young age. Their bond was strengthened through their work together. But beyond mentorship, there was love. Michael admired Diana with a passion that went far beyond friendship. He considered her the perfect woman, beautiful, talented, and graceful. It is said that they were engaged twice, though both times she ended the engagement, likely because marrying a man fourteen years younger would have caused scandal and hurt her career at the peak of her fame.
Even with the challenges, the connection between Michael and Diana remained deep and lasting. He trusted her implicitly, admired her endlessly, and carried his feelings for her throughout his life. She was a presence that shaped him, not just as an artist, but as a person. In Michael Jackson’s life, Diana Ross was not just a mentor or a friend, she was his love, his inspiration, his guiding light, and the dream he could never let go of. Their bond was unlike anything else, powerful and undeniable.
But if the connection was so deep, why couldn’t it reach its full potential? What stood in their way? Was it the age gap, the pressure of fame, or something hidden from the world? The Moments That Altered It All Some people seem destined for the spotlight, even before they realize it.
Diana Ross was one of them. Still just a schoolgirl, her path crossed with Berry Gordy, the man who would change music forever as the force behind Motown. Motown’s shining star didn’t rise without scars. In the beginning, Berry Gordy often criticized Diana for her looks and her weight.
Those harsh words chipped away at her confidence. Behind the glamour, she wrestled with depression and turned to alcohol. But by 1967, Diana’s group the Supremes had taken the world by storm, and Diana’s connection with Berry had grown far deeper than music. Their bond blurred the line between business and love.
Years later, in a 2008 Vanity Fair interview, Gordy admitted, “Working with Diana was just like heaven. Their story wasn’t just about romance, it was messy. Diana soon got pregnant and gave birth to Rhonda, a child wrapped in secrets. For years, the truth about her biological father stayed hidden, only reaching her when she was thirteen. Yet, love could not overshadow ambition.
When their personal lives began to threaten her meteoric rise, Diana and Gordy made a painful decision. They broke up. But the dazzling lights of fame cast deep shadows. In Secrets of a Sparrow, Diana Ross revealed the incredible awareness she had at the height of success, an almost mystical gratitude for living her dream in real time. Unlike most, she knew the rarity of her moment as it unfolded.
Yet, that awareness could not shield her from the grueling reality behind the scenes. The endless tours pushed her body and mind to the edge. Eating became a nightmare, she would put food in her mouth, but her jaw would lock tight, refusing to move.
She grew painfully thin, and even the smell of food was enough to make her gag. Stress showed itself in other ways too, rashes on her skin, constant anxiety, and a haunting fear that everything she had built could crumble in an instant. Behind the fame, she also faced struggles with addiction. In 2002, she was arrested for what was called an “extreme DUI.
” Soon after, she checked herself into rehab, determined to face her inner battles head-on. Her love life mirrored the drama of her career. She had a tempestuous relationship with fellow Motown star Eddie Kendricks, which culminated in a shocking incident, an alleged brick through a window, a desperate act of passion, yet protected by her superstar status.
Later, Diana married music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, who lovingly raised her first daughter, Rhonda, as if she were his own. Together, they welcomed two more daughters, Tracee and Chudney. Years later, in the mid-eighties, she married Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Naess Jr. Their marriage brought two sons, Ross and Evan, before ending in divorce in 2000.
Over the years, Diana had other relationships, but one stood apart from the rest, her bond with Michael Jackson. The world even caught glimpses of it in The Wiz. But what really happened behind the scenes? Was their chemistry more than just acting? Did the movie reveal the depth of their connection, or was it only the beginning of something the public never fully understood? The Secrets Behind The Wiz In the late seventies, The Wiz forever tied two legends together.
Released in 1978, this film was a bold, all-black adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, and it brought together two of the brightest stars of their time: Diana Ross and 19-year-old Michael Jackson. Diana played Dorothy, the girl swept into a magical land, while Michael played the lovable Scarecrow. On-screen, they dazzled audiences with their chemistry.
Off-screen, their bond grew into something far deeper, something that was part friendship, part mentorship, and, for Michael, his very first taste of love. From the beginning, Diana Ross was the one who championed Michael’s casting. She insisted that he was the perfect choice for the Scarecrow, even when others weren’t sure.
Michael, who admired Diana immensely, was thrilled by the opportunity. To him, working with Diana wasn’t just acting alongside a superstar, it was being close to the woman he considered his guide, his protector, and his muse. Their duet “Ease On Down the Road” became one of the film’s most iconic moments.
The energy, laughter, and playful harmony they shared on screen captured what was happening in real life too. They weren’t just co-stars; they were partners. Michael often said he saw Diana as a mother figure, someone who gave him comfort in a world where fame could be cruel and isolating. But their closeness also sparked whispers.
During the shoot in New York in 1977, Diana was once invited to Michael’s apartment and she stayed the night. One of Diana’s assistants later said he had spent the whole morning trying to track them down for filming. When he finally reached them on the phone, he was surprised to learn they were still at Michael’s apartment. Diana, it seemed, had slept over.
This only fueled speculation. Later, Diana was overheard joking with her girlfriends, saying: “Well, I’ll tell you one thing, Michael definitely isn’t gay.” When that same assistant later asked Michael what had happened between them, Michael gave his classic shy smile and replied, “You’d have to ask her that.
” And when the assistant asked Diana, she said the same thing: “You’d have to ask Michael.” Their playful secrecy only made the mystery larger. No matter what the world thought, one thing was certain, Michael adored Diana. He kept pictures of them with him wherever he went, and in his home, he even created a special room just for her, calling her “my goddess Diana.
” Michael openly confessed that he had fallen in love with her, and for years, their bond was unshakable. Over time, that deep connection softened into a lasting friendship. Yet, Michael never hid the truth, he once admitted to the world, “Diana was my first love.” But first love often carries heartbreak.
When Michael found out that Diana Ross was getting married, he confessed he felt torn inside. On one hand, he wanted her happiness more than anything. On the other hand, he couldn’t hide that it hurt him deeply. He admitted he was a little jealous, because no matter what, a part of him had always loved her. By the time Michael turned 24, just a few years after The Wiz, his life was shifting in powerful ways.
He was no longer just following orders, he was proudly in control, saying, “I pay people, and I tell them what to do.” Michael had found a new love that brought joy into his world, and for the first time, he seemed truly happy. He dreamed big, too. One of his greatest wishes was to buy a beautiful home for his mother, a place filled with peace and love.
He imagined living there until the day he got married and maybe, one day, even starting a new life in Switzerland. Yet, even as Michael grew, evolved, and chased new dreams, one truth never faded, his love for Diana Ross. Their time together on The Wiz wasn’t just about filming a movie; it was the spark of a bond that stayed with him for the rest of his life.
That connection ran so deep that when it was tested, the emotions pushed Michael to pour his heart into music, giving birth to some of his biggest hits. The Heartbreak That Led to Songs Sometimes, the most powerful songs are born from the deepest heartbreaks. For Michael Jackson, no heartbreak cut deeper than the one connected to the woman he adored, Diana Ross.
Behind the curtain of fame, their story was filled with promises, secrets, jealousy, and pain. And out of that pain came one of Michael’s most controversial songs: Dirty Diana. In the mid-eighties, when Michael believed his dream had finally come true. Diana Ross had promised to marry him. She even accepted his ring.
At the Motown 25th anniversary special, and again at the 1984 American Music Awards, the ring was on her finger. Diana even did something shocking at the American Music Awards: she kissed Michael on the mouth in public, holding his face in her hands so the cameras could see the ring. Some said she was testing the waters, watching to see how the world would react.
Together, the two even shared the news with Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother. But Katherine was furious. She told Diana she was too old for her son, that she was soiling him. In her anger, Katherine even called reporters and spilled the story. Soon the press swarmed Diana, mocking her with cruel names like “cradle robber” and making jokes about the age gap. Diana, under all that pressure, couldn’t take it anymore.
She broke off the engagement and ran into the arms of Arne Naess, a Norwegian shipping magnate and mountain climber. For Michael, it was betrayal. He had spent years chasing Diana, spending millions showering her with gifts, dreaming of a future together. And in the end, she left him for another man. Heartbroken, he poured all his pain into his music.
Love songs, sorrowful ballads, and finally, an angry revenge anthem. That anthem was Dirty Diana. At first, the lyrics were even harsher than the version the world knows today. Michael was furious, he wanted the world to see Diana not as his goddess, but as someone who had broken him. The line “She likes the boys in the band” was no accident.
Diana had a long history of dating famous musicians: Lionel Richie of the Commodores, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, and Gene Simmons of KISS, all while Michael still believed they were bound together. The fallout with Gene Simmons became especially bitter. One story claimed Diana had been with Gene and accidentally called out Michael’s name.
Gene blamed Michael for the humiliation, and the two men stayed enemies for life. Michael also accused Diana of stringing him along. The lyric “Just make me a star” reflected how he felt that Diana cared more about fame and power than about the man who loved her.
And the part of the song about her saying, “He’s not coming home ‘cause he’s sleeping with me”? That wasn’t about a random groupie. It was about Diana herself, how she always seemed to appear whenever Michael tried to move on. Whenever he dated someone else, even platonically, Diana found a way back into his life.
When Michael went on a publicity date with Madonna, Diana crashed the moment, sitting on his lap and stealing the spotlight. When Elizabeth Taylor, his dear friend, stepped on stage to comfort him during an award show, Diana immediately inserted herself between them, holding Michael’s arm and pushing Liz aside.
Even when Brooke Shields escorted him to the AMAs, Diana flirted shamelessly from the stage, blowing kisses and clinging to him so much she forgot her lines. Michael was trapped in her orbit, unable to fully let go, even as she refused to commit. Dirty Diana became his way of fighting back, of painting her as the temptress who kept pulling him in. But Quincy Jones, Michael’s longtime producer, heard the song and panicked.
He knew everyone would assume it was about Diana Ross. He begged Michael to tone it down. The original second verse, which was brutally explicit, was replaced with a verse about a generic groupie. Quincy even told Michael to deny the Diana connection if asked, to say it was simply about the dangers of obsessive fans.
Michael agreed. Publicly, Dirty Diana became “a song about groupies.” But privately, Diana knew the truth. And she was furious. For weeks, she refused to speak to Michael. Eventually, she forgave him but not without leaving her own mark. In a bold move, Diana Ross recorded her own version of Dirty Diana and used it as an intro at her shows. It was her way of saying: I heard you, and I’m not afraid to answer back.
Behind the stage lights and the glamour, Dirty Diana wasn’t just another hit song. It was Michael Jackson’s confession, his heartbreak turned into music, his anger disguised in melody. The first and third verses were personal, too personal to be about a stranger.
To Michael, Diana Ross wasn’t just a star, she was his muse, his first love, and also his greatest heartbreak. For the world, Dirty Diana will forever echo that pain, carrying whispers of a love too complicated to fully grasp. But what if there were other stories hidden between the notes? Stories the world never truly heard? What the songs never said During an interview in 1982, Michael Jackson sat down with Ebony magazine.
The journalist expected the usual answers, career talk, music, maybe some lighthearted comments about fame. But Michael said something that left the room silent. He admitted that the most important woman in his life was Diana Ross. The journalist tried to clarify. Did Michael mean like a sister? Michael shook his head. He wanted to marry her. He didn’t care about their age gap.
To Michael, Diana wasn’t just older or defined by numbers. She was love itself. By 1983, Michael grew bolder in his confessions. He called Diana one of his best friends, the one person he trusted with his most private secrets. And then, in 1984, when reporters asked about his personal life, Michael admitted he was in love, that someone very special was in his life.
He refused to say her name out loud at that moment. But later, in other interviews, the truth slipped through: it was Diana Ross. That same year, Michael spoke words that cut straight to the heart: “She’s everything you could wish for.” But Michael’s love for Diana wasn’t just in words, it lived in his home, in a hidden sanctuary that very few people ever saw.
Tucked away was a secret room, a shrine built for Diana Ross. Friends who were allowed inside were stunned. Every wall was covered with photos of Diana, her Supremes years, her solo career, her glamorous performances. And in the center, thousands of candles burned around her image, day and night, 24/7.
This wasn’t just admiration, it was an obsession. Where did it come from? Some say it started when Michael was very young. An Obeah man once told him that if he burned candles around a picture of someone he loved, that person would never leave him. Michael never forgot it. For Diana, he took it to extremes.
He lit thousands of candles in her honor, believing somehow, it would keep her in his life forever. That same haunting image later appeared in his work. In one of his performances, the audience held up candles in unison, a visual echo of the shrine he once kept burning for Diana. It was his private devotion, recreated on a public stage.
But love stories don’t always end the way we dream. When Diana married another man, Michael pretended to be happy for her, he even tried to move on. When he dated women like Tatum O’Neal or Brooke Shields, the shadow of Diana followed him. She was the first real love he could never escape. His music carried the echoes of this love.
Songs like Remember the Time were not random. Jermaine Jackson later revealed that Michael wrote it for Diana, a way to capture the love that got away, frozen in melody forever. But Diana was never fully gone. She circled Michael’s world like a comet, always returning at the right moment. Even at the height of his fame, Michael’s loyalty never faded.
In 2002, when he signed his will, the world was stunned to learn that if anything happened to his mother, Katherine, Michael wanted Diana Ross to be the guardian of his children. Out of everyone in his vast circle, he chose Diana. It was the ultimate sign of trust. A way of tying her to his family, forever.
Deep down, Michael had always wanted her to be the mother of his children. She was the dream he never stopped chasing. Diana Ross kept her silence. She never spoke openly about the depth of their bond, likely afraid of the storm it would create in the public eye. The world might not have been ready to understand their connection, their age gap, or the way they blurred the lines between friendship, family, and love.
In Michael’s heart, there was never a question. Diana Ross was everything. And if you listen closely to his songs between the notes, you can still hear her presence. Whispers of Diana Ross, forever echoing in the music of Michael Jackson. But did Diana stay silent about it forever? No. She also had her own words, and her own truth to share. Let’s hear what she has to say.
What Diana Ross Said About Michael Jackson While Diana has never really said anything about her bond with Michael, she has found ways to show the world her loyalty too. In 2019, long after Michael’s passing, when the documentary Leaving Neverland sparked a storm of controversy, Diana did something rare, she spoke out.
On social media, she poured out her feelings, saying she believed in Michael and that to her, he had always been a powerful and inspiring force, not just in her life but in the lives of many. And then she added a line that was both firm and gentle: “Stop in the name of love.
” It wasn’t just a nod to her hit song, it was her heartfelt plea, asking the world to stop attacking someone she had cared for since his youth. Her statement landed at a time when other celebrities, like Barbra Streisand, had spoken in confusing and controversial ways. Streisand’s comments about Michael’s accusers brought outrage, forcing her to clarify that she did not condone abuse.
But Diana’s words were different. They came from love, trust, and decades of personal history. Because Diana had seen Michael in every season of his life. She saw the shy boy stepping nervously into Motown studios. She saw the teenager blossoming into a solo artist. She saw the global icon who set the world on fire with Thriller.
And she also saw the man burdened by whispers, lawsuits, and a relentless media circus. Yet, she never judged him. When others called him strange, Diana called him beautiful. When the world saw a ghost of his former self, she saw the boy she once guided. “He wasn’t broken,” she said in a quiet reflection years later. “He was beautiful, just burdened.
” By 2025, at the age of 81, Diana Ross, usually private about her deepest emotions, finally let the silence break. Her return to the spotlight wasn’t about chasing fame. It was about reclaiming truth. At the Met Gala that spring, she arrived in a breathtaking gown with an 18-foot train embroidered with the names of her children and grandchildren. Each letter was stitched like a love letter, proof that her legacy wasn’t just about music, but about family and resilience.
Few knew that her youngest son, Evan, had urged her to attend. He reminded her that the world still needed her light. And as she walked the carpet that night, her presence felt less like fashion and more like testimony. She had endured, she had loved, and she still carried the weight of Michael’s memory in her heart.
Later, in quiet interviews, Diana spoke of him not as a headline, but as a human being. “He was Michael,” she said. And he was mine, in a way I never needed to explain.” And then came the words that broke decades of guarded silence: “I was crazy about Michael. I loved him a lot. He was my inspiration.
A very gentle and wonderful human being. One of the special ones in this universe. And I don’t even know if he knew how special he was. His aura was only about love.” For years, people wondered what Diana Ross really felt about Michael Jackson. Then, in her honest and gentle words, the truth was revealed.
She didn’t just stand up for him, she truly loved him. But why did she stay silent for so long? Was she protecting him? Or was it only after his passing that she felt ready to share her heart with the world? Diana Ross After Michael Jackson’s Passing When the news of Michael Jackson’s death broke on June 25, 2009, the world was shaken to its core. But for Diana Ross, the loss was deeply personal.
Michael wasn’t just a superstar to her. He was family, a lifelong friend, and in many ways, a part of her own story. Hearing that he was gone so suddenly felt like a blow she couldn’t prepare for. Ross later admitted that the shock was almost too much to bear. “It was too sudden, too shocking,” she said.
She described her heart as hurting and confessed that she couldn’t stop crying. For someone who had known him since he was a boy, raised under her wing at Motown, the grief was not just about losing a friend, it was about losing someone she had helped guide, someone she had inspired, and someone who had also inspired her in return. Even in her pain, Diana Ross did what she had always done best: she carried herself with grace.
She didn’t turn her grief into a spectacle. She didn’t run to the cameras. Instead, she expressed her sorrow quietly but sincerely, praying for Michael’s children, for his family, and for the millions of fans who mourned around the world. But while her emotions were private, her role in Michael’s life was suddenly in the spotlight.
In his will, Michael had written something that revealed just how much trust he had in her. He had named his mother, Katherine Jackson, as the primary guardian of his three children, Prince, Paris, and Blanket. But if for any reason Katherine could not continue, Diana Ross was chosen as the one to step in. This was not a small responsibility. It was an extraordinary gesture of trust.
Michael could have chosen anyone, but he chose Diana Ross, the woman he once called his mother, his friend, and his greatest muse. Ross accepted this role with the seriousness it deserved. Though Katherine remained the children’s guardian, Diana made it clear that she was ready to be there, offering guidance, love, and support whenever they needed her.
Even as she stood by the Jackson family, Diana didn’t pause her own journey. She had built a legendary career long before Michael’s passing, and she continued to carry that legacy forward. She toured, performed, and made television appearances. Crowds still adored her.
Younger artists looked up to her as a living legend, someone whose music had broken barriers and opened doors. For Diana, music was both her career and her therapy, it allowed her to keep moving, even with grief still living inside her heart. But her grief didn’t remain entirely private. In moments when she felt the need to defend Michael’s memory, Diana did not stay silent. Many celebrities stayed quiet, but Diana Ross chose to speak.
To Diana, Michael was not a tabloid story. He was Michael, the boy she once guided, the man she loved as a dear friend, and the father who had trusted her with the most precious part of his life: his children. On her 2010 More Today Than Yesterday tour, she honored him in the way only a singer could, with music. On stage, she performed the song Missing You, dedicating it to Michael.
As her voice carried through the audience, it wasn’t just entertainment. It was grief turned into melody. Diana was reaching out across the silence, still singing for the friend she had lost. To Diana, Michael Jackson was far more than the King of Pop. He was a kind spirit, a loving person, and truly one of the rare souls in this world.
How do you see the bond they shared? And if Michael were still here with us today, do you think Diana would have found the courage to speak openly about their connection? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
