Post by Jonel on May 31, 2002 14:51:15 GMT -5
Friday, May 31, 2002
Detroit superstar Ross checks into Malibu clinic
By Michael H. Hodges, and Kara Morrison / The Detroit News
Associated Press
Diana Ross, 58, entered a clinic that specialized in substance-abuse problems 10 days ago, her spokeswoman said in a statement released Thursday.
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DETROIT -- In a dismaying echo of her role in "Lady Sings the Blues," Diana Ross has checked herself into a California clinic specializing in celebrity substance-abuse problems.
The former Supremes superstar, who is scheduled to begin an international tour June 26 in Germany, voluntarily entered Promises Malibu "to clear up some personal issues," according to a prepared statement read by her spokeswoman, Michelle Bega.
"She wants to be in great shape because she is someone who feels a sense of responsibility to her family and her fans," the statement continued.
Bega says Ross, 58, entered the clinic about 10 days ago. The oceanside clinic counts actors Ben Affleck and Robert Downey Jr. among its alumni.
Throughout her hometown, friends and colleagues voiced surprise at this turn for an intensely private woman who seemed to manage success without stumbling.
"I would be shocked, if I believed it, but I don't," says Esther Gordy Edwards, founder of Detroit's Motown Museum and sister to Motown mogul Berry Gordy Jr.
"Every time I've seen her all through the years," Edwards says, "I've never seen her like that."
Edwards describes Ross as a good mother, and happy when she visited the museum with her kids this past year.
Others, however, wonder about the toll that dwindling fame might be taking on the aging star, complicated by her aborted 2000 "Return to Love" tour -- she performed here on June 19 -- and divorce that same year from Arne Naess.
"Sometimes people get caught up in their success and the spotlight," says longtime fan and 101.9 WDET-FM DJ Willy Wilson, "and when that starts to fade, maybe they reach for a little something to numb their pain. I just hope she gets the help she needs."
"I wouldn't say she's on the verge of collapsing," says Sylvia Moy, who knows Ross and wrote some of Stevie Wonder's biggest hits, including "My Cherie Amour."
"She's Diana Ross. You can't take that away from her. That's established." Still, Moy concedes that the failed 2000 tour must have hurt.
"She's not made of steel," Moy says. "All I can say is I wish her the best. If she made this decision, it must be something positive for her."
You can reach Michael H. Hodges at (313) 222-6021 or mhodges@detnews.com.
Detroit superstar Ross checks into Malibu clinic
By Michael H. Hodges, and Kara Morrison / The Detroit News
Associated Press
Diana Ross, 58, entered a clinic that specialized in substance-abuse problems 10 days ago, her spokeswoman said in a statement released Thursday.
Comment on this story
Send this story to a friend
Get Home Delivery
DETROIT -- In a dismaying echo of her role in "Lady Sings the Blues," Diana Ross has checked herself into a California clinic specializing in celebrity substance-abuse problems.
The former Supremes superstar, who is scheduled to begin an international tour June 26 in Germany, voluntarily entered Promises Malibu "to clear up some personal issues," according to a prepared statement read by her spokeswoman, Michelle Bega.
"She wants to be in great shape because she is someone who feels a sense of responsibility to her family and her fans," the statement continued.
Bega says Ross, 58, entered the clinic about 10 days ago. The oceanside clinic counts actors Ben Affleck and Robert Downey Jr. among its alumni.
Throughout her hometown, friends and colleagues voiced surprise at this turn for an intensely private woman who seemed to manage success without stumbling.
"I would be shocked, if I believed it, but I don't," says Esther Gordy Edwards, founder of Detroit's Motown Museum and sister to Motown mogul Berry Gordy Jr.
"Every time I've seen her all through the years," Edwards says, "I've never seen her like that."
Edwards describes Ross as a good mother, and happy when she visited the museum with her kids this past year.
Others, however, wonder about the toll that dwindling fame might be taking on the aging star, complicated by her aborted 2000 "Return to Love" tour -- she performed here on June 19 -- and divorce that same year from Arne Naess.
"Sometimes people get caught up in their success and the spotlight," says longtime fan and 101.9 WDET-FM DJ Willy Wilson, "and when that starts to fade, maybe they reach for a little something to numb their pain. I just hope she gets the help she needs."
"I wouldn't say she's on the verge of collapsing," says Sylvia Moy, who knows Ross and wrote some of Stevie Wonder's biggest hits, including "My Cherie Amour."
"She's Diana Ross. You can't take that away from her. That's established." Still, Moy concedes that the failed 2000 tour must have hurt.
"She's not made of steel," Moy says. "All I can say is I wish her the best. If she made this decision, it must be something positive for her."
You can reach Michael H. Hodges at (313) 222-6021 or mhodges@detnews.com.
