The Tragic Life Story of American Painter Bob Ross
He came from humble beginnings and remained humble throughout his life.
Robert Norman Ross was a famous television artist. His instructional videos have been watched by millions of people around the world and he produced over 30,000 paintings before he passed away from lymphoma in 1995, aged only 52. He was known as a happy painter who painted “happy little trees.” But his own life was not as happy as it seemed.
Childhood
Bob Ross was born on October 29, 1942, in Daytona, Florida. His dad, Jack, was a carpenter and a Cherokee Indian. His mom, Ollie, was a waitress. Ross grew up relatively poor but later said that he had a good childhood because his parents were kind and nurturing.
His love of painting grew out of a love of nature in general, which was fostered in him early by his mom. The young Ross used to bring home all sorts of stray animals, some of them not quite the type you’d keep as pets, including snakes and wild foxes. And his mother helped him to take care of them before releasing them back out in the wild.
Unfortunately, his idyllic childhood ended when his parents got a divorce. As a teenager, Ross dropped out of high school after the first year and then spent more time with his dad working…
