Bob Ross - Personal Life

Personal Life

Ross was raised in Orlando, Florida. Ross had a half brother Jim, whom he mentioned in passing on his show.

Ross enlisted in the United States Air Force at age 18, Ross had quit high school in the 9th grade. The Air Force transferred him to Eielson Air Force Base (in Alaska), where he first saw the snow and mountains that later became recurring themes in his artwork. He developed his quick-painting technique in order to be able to create art for sale in brief daily work breaks. Having held military positions that required him to be, in his own words, "mean" and "tough," "the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work," Ross decided that if he ever moved on from the military, "it wasn't going to be that way any more," "vowing never to scream again."

Ross discovered that he was soon able to earn more from selling his work than from his Air Force position. After leaving the Air Force, he studied with Bill Alexander before becoming famous worldwide with his own television program, The Joy of Painting.

Ross had 2 sons, Bob (Ross gave up parental rights in 1966) and Steven, from his first marriage to Lynda Brown. Steven occasionally appeared on The Joy of Painting and is a Bob Ross–certified instructor. Ross and Lynda's marriage ended in divorce in 1981. Ross's second wife, Jane, died of cancer in 1993, and Ross suffered from lymphoma in his later years. In early 1994, Ross canceled The Joy of Painting to continue battling the disease, with his final show airing on May 17, 1994. On July 4, 1995, Ross died at home. His remains are interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha, Florida.