Diana Ross enjoys spending time with her grandsons and granddaughters
Diana Ross is a music legend, and when she's not performing, she's a devoted grandmother to her eight grandchildren.
The former Supremes singer first became a grandma in 2009, when her oldest child, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, welcomed her son Raif-Henok Emmanuel Kendrick with husband Rodney Kendrick. Three years later, Diana’s daughter Chudney Ross and her then-boyfriend Joshua Faulkner announced the birth of their baby girl Callaway Lane Ross-Faulkner.
After Diana's youngest child, son Evan Ross, married Ashlee Simpson in 2014, the "Remember Me" vocalist became step-grandmother to Bronx Mowgli Wentz, whom Simpson shares with Pete Wentz. The next year, Evan and Simpson welcomed daughter Jagger Snow Ross, and she was followed by Leif Naess, who is Diana’s son Ross Naess’ first child with wife Kimberly Ryan, in 2016.
Related: Diana Ross' 5 Children: Everything to Know
Since then, the "Upside Down" singer's family has expanded: Ross and Ryan’s son Indigo Naess was born in 2017; Chudney and Faulkner’s daughter Everlee Ernestine Ross-Faulkner in 2019; Evan and Simpson's son Ziggy Blu Ross in 2020.
Diana opened up about her relationship with her grandkids while speaking to the Bay Area Reporter in 2016. “I love being Mom and Grandma and doing all the grandma things,” she said. “Yes, I go to the park and read books to my grandchildren.”
The Grammy winner, who regularly gets together with her extended family, also shared her secret for staying connected when she’s far away. “When I'm traveling … I actually love to text them or FaceTime, which keeps us very close as a family,” Diana said.
Here's everything to know about Diana Ross' grandchildren.
Diana regularly gathers with her grandchildren
Diana and her family regularly share photos of their extended group coming together for special occasions, such as Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving, and public appearances at awards shows.
For Christmas 2023, Tracee Ellis Ross told PEOPLE that her mother's wish was simple. “All my mom wants is to be around the kids, the grandkids,” she said. “That’s the thing.”
Tracee also spoke about the family’s annual Christmas photos, which usually involve matching outfits. “I handle food, Chudney and my mom handle the theme,” she said of their ensembles.
Related: Diana Ross' Cutest Moments With Her Grandchildren
Diana’s grandkids have special names for her
Evan revealed during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan that his children had a special name for his mother.
“What do your kids call your mom?” Kelly Ripa asked, to which Evan replied, “Ami.”
Simpson also referenced the sweet moniker on Instagram Stories, which showed her and Evan’s son Ziggy at one of Diana’s concerts. "Ziggy's first show seeing his Ami," she wrote in June 2022.
Raif-Henok, meanwhile, calls Diana “grandmommy,” as he referenced in his 2019 Grammys speech, and so does Chudney’s daughter Everlee.
“Everlee's first Grand Mommy concert,” Chudney wrote in an Instagram caption of the little girl onstage in 2022.
Related: Ashlee Simpson's 3 Kids: All About Bronx, Jagger and Ziggy
Diana was introduced by one of her grandsons at the Grammys
In 2019, a then 9-year-old Raif-Henok played an important role at the Grammy Awards, introducing Diana’s 75th birthday performance, for which she sang “The Best Years of My Life.”
“She is amazing,” Raif-Henok said of his grandma. “Young people like me can look up to her for her independence, confidence and willingness to be her unique self.”
He concluded the sweet message by saying, “She has shown the world that nothing is beyond our reach. So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my grandmommy, Diana Ross."
Rhonda gushed about her son’s talents to PEOPLE Now in 2020. “I do think he’s a storyteller,” she said. “He loves filmmaking, he loves acting, he’s also an actor, he’s stylish, he’s a dancer, he’s really a performer in so many ways. I don’t want to put any limits on who he can be and what he can be.”
Diana's granddaughters love the stage as much as her
Diana’s not the only Ross who enjoys the limelight: Chudney’s older daughter, Callaway, also has a knack for performing.
“'No one can resist, Ursula The Sea Witch.' I know I can’t!” Chudney captioned a November 2019 Instagram post that showed Callaway striking a pose as the famous Disney villain.
According to the mom of two, Callaway knocked the performance out of the park. “Love this girl and her confidence to show up, put her all into her performance and shine onstage! I could not be more proud of you," Chudney wrote.
Evan shared similar sentiments about his own daughter, Jagger, to E! News In 2018. "She's a little star already," he said.
"She's into her Ami [Diana]. She wants the sparkles and the microphone!" Simpson added.
Diana watched Simpson give birth to Jagger
When Simpson gave birth to Jagger in 2015, her mother-in-law was involved in a unique way. Three years later, Evan opened up to PEOPLE about how close his mom got.
“[The most memorable moment, aside from Jagger's birth] was our parents coming in before it was time to come,” he said. “I was like, ‘What are y’all doing?’ ”
As the actor explained, he and Simpson planned to be alone during the baby's arrival, but the grandparents weren't on the same page.
“Then we saw both our parents behind the curtain watching,” Evan continued. “Also, those nurses can't stop my mom! Like, Diana Ross just walks in."
Diana's grandchildren have attended her concerts
According to Evan, his kids are three of their grandma’s biggest musical fans.
“They love it,” he told PEOPLE in 2023 of his family attending Diana’s concerts. “They're in awe of their grandmother."
Simpson documented Ziggy’s first experience of watching the "Endless Love" songstress perform with a sweet clip. In the 2022 snippet, the toddler gazes at the stage from his father’s arms in a pair of headphones. Simpson also shared a video of Ziggy and Jagger dancing to "You Can't Hurry Love."
They’re not the only ones who love to watch Diana: The following month, Chudney also posted an Instagram video of her younger daughter, Everlee, dancing with her grandma and cousins onstage in Switzerland.
“I think it's pretty clear she enjoyed it ...and the spotlight!” she wrote.
According to Chudney, the event, which took place at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, was “a full-on family affair.”The children's book author quipped, “You couldn't keep these kids off the stage!”
Diana brought her grandkids as her dates to the AMAs
When Diana was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Music Awards in 2017, her grandchildren were by her side to help her celebrate.
The “I'm Coming Out” singer walked the red carpet with daughters Rhonda, Tracee and Chudney, her sons Ross and Evanand several of their children: Raif-Henok, Callaway, Bronx, Jagger and Indigo.
More than being grandma’s dates, the younger kids helped Diana perform, joining her onstage as she belted out some of her biggest hits, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
The grandsons and granddaughters also stayed with their grandmother as she accepted her award from daughter Rhonda.
“This is my family, and I’m sending love out there to each and every one of you — our global family," Diana told the audience. "I love you so very much, and I think you know that."
Raif-Henok also had a message for her. “I am so proud of you," he said.
Diana and Leif had a part in Ross’s wedding
When Diana’s first-born son, Ross, walked down the aisle to marry his longtime girlfriend Ryan in 2017, the singer was by his side. Ross' son Leif was also present, perched on his father’s hip.
“Thank you for holding my hand through life,” Ross later captioned a shot of the sweet moment in tribute to his mother on his birthday.
According to Harper’s Bazaar, Diana officiated the wedding as Leif crawled around and played at the altar, stealing the show from the groom and pregnant bride. (Ross and Ryan welcomed son Indigo later that same year.)
Diana is supportive of her grandkids' passions
Diana showed off her granddaughter Jagger’s modeling debut for the clothing brand Fear of God on Facebook in 2022, sharing a professional photo of the tween in an oversized yellow sweatshirt with a white collar underneath and a pair of baggy khakis.
“My sweet granddaughter Jagger Snow in her first big photo shoot,” the vocalist wrote. “Soo cool. She had so much fun.”
The following year, Jagger modeled pieces from her mom’s 2023 Pieces of Me collection with Smash + Tess, wearing matching outfits with her parents.
Diana stayed with Evan and Simpson after Ziggy was born
Quarantine didn’t stop Diana from seeing her new grandson when he was born amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
In an interview on Live with Kelly and Ryan the next year, Evan told the talk show hosts that the Lady Sings the Blues star stayed with him and Simpson to be near Ziggy after his birth.
“Right when the baby was born, we quarantined, we did two weeks, and mom came and stayed with us, and it was great,” he recalled.
Diana shared a sweet photo of herself spending quality time with her youngest grandson on his third birthday via X (formerly Twitter). “Loving you is wonder-full!” she wrote in 2023.
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