Friends, today is a day of remembrance. For on this day in 1995 we lost one of the greats, nay, we lost THE great - Bob Ross.
But who was the real Bob Ross? Could he truly be as chill as his TV persona?
The answer is a most definite yes. Bob grew up tending to the local wildlife, like some kinda woodland Florence Nightingale with a powerful 'fro and exposed chest hair/medallion combo - in fact one of his rescued squirrels was only given 4 months to live, but under the ever loving embrace of Bob that bushy tailed fool was kicking it for another five years. Such is the power of a man like Bob.
Before turning to a life of tranquil painting and beating the devil out of brushes however, Bob had a stint as a carpenter with his pops after dropping out of high school, but after losing part of his index finger he decided it probably wasn't the job for him. He then enlisted in the US army, before rising to the rank of master sergeant. In his own words he was the kinda army dude who made cadets scrub latrines and screamed at them to make their beds, but after discovering an interest in painting, he left the army with a 20-year service record under his belt, vowing never to raise his voice or yell again.
Bob studied under a German artist called Bill Alexander, selling his art and tutoring others in the fine art of painting trees n shit. With the help of a dudette named Annette Kowalski, who attended one of Bob's classes and was adamant Bob could go solo, Bob and his wife pooled their life savings, along with Annette's, into their own company, which would eventually lead to the creation of The Joys of Painting.
The show ran from 1983 to 1994, and in that time Bob was thrown into stardom, due to his soft and gentle demeanour, calming catchphrases and tropes, and his feel-good personality. He even ended up doing some promo spots for MTV in the early 90s, which were pretty neat.
Sadly, in 1994, Bob was diagnosed with lymphoma, which forced him to retire from The Joys of Painting that year, and on July 4th 1995, Bob Ross left the mortal realm, aged just 52.
But cry not, dear friends of TTWAAR. Bob Ross left us countless muses and insights to get us through our sometimes stressful days, and he taught us how joyous painting can be, and even if you're a little shit at painting it doesn't matter, because it's all about the journey. If you ever find yourself out in Florida, you can even visit Bob Ross' final resting place, which is located under a happy little tree, where folk leave gifts and money from time to time.
One final parting fact for you, the iconic perm? He didn't like it all that much. He only allowed it to get like that as a cost-cutting measure when his show started, and because of it's fame with viewers, he decided to keep it. What was Bob's preferred hairstyle of choice?
Crewcut. Imagine that now.
Rest in peace Bob Ross, you truly were the best amongst us.
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