Arne Næss Jr.

Arne Næss junior (1937-January 13 2004) was a Norwegian mountaineer and businessman. Outside of Norway he may have been more known for being the former husband of Diana Ross.

Næss jr. was born in Germany in 1937 by Norwegian mother Kiki Næss and father German Raab, a physician and major of the Wehrmacht. His mother was the sister of philosopher and mountaineer Arne Næss senior, who had a strong influence on his like-named nephew. Næss jr's family lived in Germany during World War II, but when his parents were divorced after the war, he moved to Norway with his mother.

In 1966 he married Filippa Kumlin d'Orey of Sweden, and they had three sons together. After the divorce from d'Orey, he had a relationship with Norwegian actress Mari Maurstad. In 1985 Næss met soul diva Diana Ross on a trip to the Bahamas. He and Ross married in 1985 and got two sons, until parting in 1999. The last five years of his life Næss lived together with Camilla Astrup of Oslo, Norway, with whom he had two sons.

At the age of 19 Næss jr. already had twenty first ascents of Norwegian mountains under his belt. He then mostly left this sport and went for a career in the shipping industry. In the seventies he went back to mountain climbing, and in 1985 he led the first Norwegian expedition to Mount Everest, reportedly one of the more sucessful Everest climbs to have taken place. Also participating was British mountaineer Chris Bonington.

On January 13, 2004, while on a business trip, he died in a mountain climbing accident near the town Franschoek about 80 kilometers outside of Cape Town in South Africa. Arne Næss Jr. leaves seven children, his last child born as late as March 2003.

External links

• Arne Naess jr. killed in mountain accident (from Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten)