"Tragedy drew Steve and his dad closer. Bob Ross, who worked as a drill sergeant in the US Air Force, raised Steve as a single parent after his mother died when he was still a boy. The two channeled their grief into painting, developing what would be become a lifelong hobby.

It was a hobby that would ultimately determine the course of their entire lives. In 1978, Bob Ross exchanged his Air Force uniform for brush and pallet. He traveled across the country to learn from a professional oil painter, leaving Steve in the care of his second wife, Jane.

After a brief stint serving as an apprentice of the Austrian “wet-on-wet” painter Bill Alexander, Bob Ross began his very own television series. Thanks to his calming demeanor and soothing voice, The Joy of Painting took off like a rocket and never lost momentum."

https://allthatsinteresting.com/steve-ross