Smokey Robinson opens up about his lifelong friendship with Diana Ross.
In a new interview, the 83-year-old music legend revealed that he and the 79-year-old “I’m Coming Out” artist had a year-long affair when he was married to his first wife, Claudette Rogers.
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When asked about The Guardian If he and Diana ever had “a thing,” Smokey responded, “Yeah, we did,” adding that it lasted “about a year.”
“I was married at the time. We were working together and it just happened,” Smokey shared. “But it was beautiful. She is a beautiful lady and I love her to this day. “She is one of my closest people.”
“She was young and trying to make her career happen. She was trying to help her,” Smokey recalled. “I actually brought her to Motown. I wasn’t going after her and she wasn’t going after me. It just happened.”
While he did not specify when the affair took place, Smokey was married to Claudette from 1959 to 1986.
He also said that Diana was the one who ended the romance.
“After we saw each other for a while, Diana told me she couldn’t do that because she knew Claudette and she knew I still loved my wife,” Smokey admitted. “And I did. She loved my wife very much.”
Smokey and Diana have been friends since he was 10 years old, when Diana and her family moved to the same street he lived on. The late Aretha Franklin and her family also lived in the neighborhood.
“It’s beautiful to know that we were children playing together. And these people are some of the most famous people in the world right now,” Smokey said. “We had so much joy.”
When asked if he ever had a romantic relationship with Aretha, Smokey said, “No, just friends.
“I admit when I was about 15 I had a crush on her,” Smokey added. “Hahaha! Yes, she was fine!
In a 2021 interview, Tracee Ellis Ross revealed the fun way she likes to honor her mother Diana.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn