Robert Norman Ross was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of the Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States and similar channels in Canada, Latin America, Europe, and elsewhere. A cigarette smoker for most of his adult life, Robert expected to die young and had several health problems over the course of his life. On July 4th of 1995 in Orlando, Florida, he died due to complications from lymphoma. Bob Ross was only 52 years old.