With his friendly demeanor and smile, soothing voice and poofy permed hair, Bob Ross was like that favorite teacher who never judged and always believed in you, even if you didn’t believe in yourself.
“You know without question that we don’t make mistakes here,” Ross would tell his TV audience. “We just have happy accidents.”
Though his instructional painting show on PBS, “The Joy of Painting,” ended 30 years ago this year, and it’ll be 29 years in July since he died in 1995 from lymphoma at age 52, the beloved artist remains as popular as ever. Public admiration has permeated nearly every corner of pop culture, from Ross-inspired Chia Pets and other collectibles to Halloween costumes and the 2023 movie comedy “Paint,” starring Owen Wilson.
Though Millennials and Generation Z are credited for keeping his
