ARTIST Bob Ross was best known for teaching people how to paint scenery on TV.
Ross created an estimated 30,000 paintings during his lifetime, some of which remain owned by his business, Bob Ross Inc.
How many times was Bob Ross married?
Bob Ross was married three times throughout the course of his life.
He first tied the knot with Vivian Ridge in 1965.
The pair had one son, Robert Stephen Ross, who also followed in his father’s footsteps and became a painter.
Ross and Vivian ended their marriage in 1977 allegedly due to an infidelity on Ross’ part.
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The painter then moved on and married Jane Ross the same year he divorced Vivian.
Jane and Ross did not have any children and their marriage lasted 15 years until she passed away from cancer in 1992.
Three years later Ross married Lynda Brown.
Lynda was widowed on July 4, 1995, when Ross passed away.
Who is Bob Ross?
Ross was a famous painter and art instructor.
He previously served in the US Air Force and was stationed in Alaska, the setting of most of his future paintings.
Ross began developing quick painting techniques during his work breaks and enrolled in an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O. club.
While working as a bartender he discovered a TV show called The Magic of Oil Painting, hosted by German painter Bill Alexander.
Ross mastered his technique and began painting and selling Alaskan scenery portraits.
The artist eventually returned to Florida and began painting with Alexander.
A student named Annette Kowalski took a class with Ross and encouraged him to branch out on his own, helping him financially.
Ross, his wife, and Kowalski gathered money and created his company, Bob Ross Inc.
His popularity increased and he was given his own show on PBS as a result.
When is Bob Ross’ documentary coming out?
On August 25, 2021, Netflix is releasing a new documentary on Ross’ life.
Known as a gentle and kind soul who painted his “happy little” trees and clouds, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed, will explore the unknown battles he was secretly living with.
The documentary will also touch on the bitter disputes between Ross’s son, friends, and business partners after his death.
However, director Joshua Rofé, who is known for his true-crime series Sasquatch, assures fans that their image of Ross won’t be ruined.
“Whenever I tell friends or colleagues that I’m making a doc about Bob Ross, because they know my work and they know it’s usually pretty dark, they say, ‘Oh, my God, you’re going to ruin Bob Ross for me.’ I assure them that on the contrary, I think you’ll leave the movie perhaps loving him even more,” he told Vanity Fair.
“The more I learned about him, the more empathy I found myself having for this man, who I only knew from the show.”