Arne Næss Jr.

Arne Næss Jr. (born Arne Rudolf Ludvig Raab; 8 December 1937 – 13 January 2004, aged 66) was a Norwegian businessman, shipping magnate, mountaineer, and the second husband of Diana Ross.[1]

For other people with similar names, see Arne Næss (disambiguation).

Early life

Næss was born in Germany in 1937 to German physician August Oskar German Raab (1901–1993) and Kirsten "Kiki" Dekke Næss (1907–2001), a Norwegian national whose brother was philosopher and mountaineer Arne Næss. Næss' family lived in Germany during World War II. His parents divorced after the war, and Næss moved to Norway with his mother where they both took her maiden name Næss.

Career

In 1964, Næss moved to New York to work for his uncle Erling Dekke Næss, a shipping magnate and businessman. He started his own business in London in 1968 where he was successful in shipping and oil, and in real estate. He would go on to make a few bad investments in the 1990s in Pyramid scheme Global Money Games. His biggest success was an investment in an IT business, Tandberg Data, and various global real estate investments. At the time of his death in 2004, Naess' shipping empire was reputedly worth some 600 million. He spent his final years in Switzerland.

Personal life

In 1966, Naess married Filippa Kumlin d'Orey of Sweden and together they had son Christoffer and two daughters, Katinka and folk/pop singer Leona Naess. After they divorced, he had a relationship with Norwegian actress Mari Maurstad. In 1985, Næss met American singer Diana Ross on a trip to the Bahamas. He and Ross married in 1985 and had two sons, Ross Arne Næss (born October 7, 1987) and Evan Olav Næss (born August 26, 1988). Through his marriage, he gained three stepdaughters, Rhonda Ross Kendrick (Ross' daughter with Motown Records founder Berry Gordy), Chudney Ross, and Tracee Ellis Ross; the latter two being Ross' daughters from her first marriage to music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein. The couple divorced in 1999, after it was revealed that Naess fathered a child with Camilla Astrup.[2] Næss spent his remaining five years with Norwegian-born Camilla Astrup; they had two sons, Nicklas and Louis.[3]

Mountaineering

By age 19, Næss had already made twenty first ascents of Norwegian mountains. In the 1960s, he focused primarily on his career. In the 1970s, he returned to mountain climbing. In 1985, he led the first Norwegian expedition to Mount Everest. Also participating was British mountaineer Chris Bonington. When asked, during a late-1990s television interview, about the risks of mountaineering, Næss replied, "If I hadn't liked risks, I would rather have played tennis or golf."

Death

Næss was staying with his friend Johann Rupert on 13 January 2004 when he died in a climbing accident while descending from a peak on Rupert's estate in the Groot Drakenstein mountains near the town of Franschhoek outside Cape Town, South Africa. According to police reports, Næss' anchoring equipment loosened from the porous mountainside, leading to a 103m fall. He was 66 years old.[4]

In May 2004, Næss was posthumously awarded the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Arne Naess, 66; Shipping Mogul, Mountain Climber". LA Times. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  2. Grogan, Diane. "Stop! in the Name of Love". People. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  3. "Arne Naess Jr. - Norwegian Shipping Tycoon, 66 - New York Times". Nytimes.com. 2004-01-16. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  4. Schwarz, Walter. "Arne Næss". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  5. Mohan, K. P. (12 May 2004). "Schumacher, Sorenstam voted best". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
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