T-Boy Ross

Arthur "T-Boy" Ross was an American singer and songwriter most notable for his collaborations with Leon Ware and for being the younger brother of legendary American entertainer Diana Ross.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Arthur hung around rougher sections of Detroit while his elder sister went on to fame as lead singer of The Supremes in the 1960s and later solo fame in 1970s. Shortly after Diana had established herself on her own, she recruited him to Motown as an appointed songwriter in 1972. Ross hooked up with songwriter Leon Ware and together the duo wrote hits for acts such as Michael Jackson, The Miracles and Marvin Gaye. Among the hits included I Wanna Be Where You Are and I Want You.

Ross was considered hard to deal with when high on drugs and alcohol. His tough exterior made him a difficulty amongst the control booth and led to his fall out with Ware during an argument with Ware during recording sessions for Marvin Gaye's I Want You album. Ross later left and in 1979, set on becoming a singer, released his first album for Motown in 1979, Changes. Despite help from artists like Joe Sample, it sold only 12,000 copies. Fed up with the business, Ross retired from music in the early 1980s where he lived in seclusion away from family members including his famous sister.

During the weekend of June 22-23, 1996, police found the decaying bodies of Ross and his wife Patricia Ann Robinson in a rotting basement inside another person's dilapidated home in Oak Park, Michigan, an impoverished suburb of Detroit. The two of them were reportedly bound and gagged and died of suffocation. It was estimated that the bodies had been there for several days to a week. The official date of death was May 30, 1996. Ross was 47 years old and his wife was 54. Strangely Ross had not been reported missing by his family. He had been scheduled to appear in a downtown Detroit courtroom on June 26, 1996 at a hearing on three charges of possessing a controlled substance.

His work with Ware continues to be covered: the duo's hit I Want You has been covered by Robert Palmer, Madonna and even Diana Ross herself on her 2006 covers album, I Love You.