Jania Ashlynn
During an interview with The Guardian, the singer talked about the affairs he’s had throughout his life – including with the legendary performer Diana Ross.
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Trysts
The relationship lasted for “about a year” during his marriage to his first wife, Claudette Rogers.
“I was married at the time. [We] were working together and it just happened. But it was beautiful,” he explained.
“She’s a beautiful lady, and I love her right til today. She’s one of my closest people. She was young and trying to get her career together,” he added.
“I was trying to help her. I brought her to Motown, in fact. I wasn’t going after her and she wasn’t going after me. It just happened.”
He then went on to explain why their relationship ended.
“After we’d been seeing each other for a while, Diana said to me she couldn’t do that because she knew Claudette, and she knew I still loved my wife,” he shared. “And I did. I loved my wife very much.”
Letting Love Go
He learned a lot from his relationship with Ross, 79. He realized that love is much more layered than he previously believed.
“You asked me what happened when we get older, and we get wisdom in life. I learned that we are capable of loving more than one person at the same time. And it has been made taboo by us. By people,” he admitted.
“It’s not because one person isn’t worthy or they don’t live up to what you expect – it has to do with feelings. If we could control love, nobody would love anybody. Nobody would take that chance. Why would you put your heart out there for somebody to be able to hurt you like that and make you able to have those feelings?”
