Age, Biography, and Wiki
As of 2025, Smokey Robinson is 85 years old. Born William Robinson Jr., he rose to fame in the late 1950s as the lead vocalist of The Miracles, one of Motown Records' first acts. Robinson's contributions to Motown led him to become a prolific songwriter and producer for numerous artists, including The Temptations and Marvin Gaye. His distinctive voice and poetic lyrics have earned him the nickname "King of Motown" and praise from artists like Bob Dylan, who called him "America's greatest living poet" .
| Occupation | Gospel Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 19 February 1940 |
| Age | 85 Years |
| Birth Place | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Smokey Robinson's height and weight are not widely documented, he is known for his distinct high tenor voice that has been a hallmark of his career.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Smokey Robinson has been married twice. His first marriage was to Claudette Rogers, a fellow member of The Miracles, with whom he had two children, Berry and Tamla. The couple divorced in 1986. In 2002, he married Frances Gladney, with whom he resides in Pittsburgh and operates a winery .
By 1969, Robinson wanted to retire from touring to focus on raising his two children with his wife Claudette, and on his duties as Motown's vice president, a job he had taken on by the mid-1960s after Esther Gordy Edwards had left the position. However, the success of the group's "Tears of a Clown" made Robinson stay with the group until 1972. His last performance with the group was in July 1972 in Washington, D.C.
Robinson also had a son named Trey (born 1984) with another woman during his marriage to Claudette. After Robinson admitted to having fathered a child with a woman other than his wife, he filed for legal separation and later filed for divorce that was finalized in 1986. The Robinsons had also separated in 1974 and during that separation, Robinson engaged in an extramarital affair that inspired the song "The Agony & The Ecstasy" (later featured on A Quiet Storm).
On May 6, 2025, it was reported that Robinson and his wife were being sued by four former female housekeepers who were alleging sexual battery, assault and false imprisonment from 2012 to 2024. The women are asking for a trial with general damages for several allegations of no less than $50 million. The women also claimed that Robinson's wife Frances created a hostile work environment by using "ethnically pejorative words and language." The women said that they did not take action against Robinson prior to 2025 for fear of losing their livelihood, familial reprisal or embarrassment. Some of the women were fearful it could affect their immigration status. Robinson has denied the allegations. According to a statement from his lawyer, Christopher Frost, "the evidence will show that this is simply an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon". On May 15, 2025, it was reported that Robinson was under criminal investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Robinson's lawyer responded to the investigation by saying "It is clear to us what is happening here. Plaintiffs filed a police report only after they filed a $50 million lawsuit. This means only that the police are now required to investigate." On May 28, 2025, Robinson filed a $500 million counter-complaint against his former employees accusing them of slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress and financial elder abuse. The suit states that the women made pre-litigation demands for $100 million or more, which were not met, prompting them to “[create] a media circus and [make] a public spectacle of themselves.” The following day, the legal team for his accusers responded to Robinson's counter-complaint saying that “[The countersuit] is nothing more than an attempt to silence and intimidate the survivors of Mr. Robinson’s sexual battery and assault. It is a baseless and vindictive legal maneuver designed to re-victimize, shift blame and discourage others from coming forward.”
On March 20, 2009, the Miracles were finally honored as a group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Smokey was present with original Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, (Bobby's cousin) Claudette Rogers, and Gloria White, accepting for her husband, the late Ronnie White, whose daughter Pamela and granddaughter Maya were there representing him as well. Smokey's replacement, 1970s Miracles lead singer Billy Griffin, was also honored.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Claudette Rogers (m. 1959-1986) Frances Gladney (m. May 2002) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Smokey Robinson's net worth is estimated between $150 million and $160 million, primarily from music royalties, live performances, business ventures, and real estate investments . His wealth has been impacted by a costly divorce settlement with his first wife, which included significant financial payouts and property transfers .
Career, Business, and Investments
Robinson's career began with The Miracles, achieving hits like "Shop Around" and "The Tracks of My Tears." He became a solo artist in 1972, while also serving as Motown's vice president. His solo hits include "Cruisin'" and "Being With You." In recent years, he has been involved in various projects, including hosting "Smokey’s Soul Town" on SiriusXM .
In addition to his music career, Robinson has invested in real estate, owning several luxurious properties. His real estate holdings are valued at approximately $72 million .
William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins, when they were called The Five Chimes, until 1972, when he retired from the group to focus on his role as Motown Records vice president. Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. He left Motown in 1999.
In August 1957, Robinson and the Miracles met songwriter Berry Gordy after a failed audition for Brunswick Records. At that time during the audition, Robinson had brought along with him a "Big 10" notebook with 100 songs he had written while in high school. Gordy was impressed with Robinson's vocals and even more impressed with Robinson's ambitious songwriting. With his help, the Miracles released their first single, "Got a Job," an answer song to the Silhouettes' hit single "Get a Job" on End Records. It was the beginning of a long and successful collaboration. During this time, Robinson attended college and started classes in January 1959, studying electrical engineering. He dropped out after only two months, following the Miracles' release of their first record.
After the arrival of Holland–Dozier–Holland and the team of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, Robinson was eclipsed as a top writer and producer for the label, and other Motown artists such as Gaye and Stevie Wonder began to compose more original material. Later in his career, Robinson wrote lyrics and music for the Contours such as "First I Look at the Purse", as well as the Four Tops' "Still Water" and The Supremes' "Floy Joy". The other Miracles—Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Marv Tarplin—collaborated with him as writers on many of these hits, and Pete Moore also doubled as co-producer with Robinson on several of them.
Robinson answered his critics the following year with A Quiet Storm, released in 1975. The album launched three singles – the number-one R&B hit "Baby That's Backatcha", "The Agony & The Ecstasy" and "Quiet Storm" (the radio format quiet storm, originated by DJ Melvin Lindsey, is named after the album). However, Robinson's solo career suffered from his work as Motown's vice president, and his own music took the backseat. As a result, several albums including Smokey's Family Robinson, Deep in My Soul, Love Breeze and Smokin, saw poor promotion and received bad reviews. At this point Robinson relied on other writers and producers to help him with his albums.
After MCA purchased Motown in 1988, Robinson relinquished his position as vice president. Following the release of the album, Love Smokey, in 1990, Robinson left Motown for a deal with SBK Records in 1991. However, the album, Double Good Everything failed to chart. Robinson remained virtually quiet during the nineties (though he would make a notable cameo appearance in The Temptations 1998 miniseries), making a brief comeback in 1999 when he re-signed with Motown and issued the album, Intimate, which included the song "Easy to Love".
Robinson married a fellow Miracles member, Claudette Rogers, in 1959. The couple had two children: a son, Berry Robinson (born 1968), named after Motown's founder Berry Gordy, and a daughter, Tamla Robinson (born 1971), named after the original "Tamla" label set up by Gordy that would eventually become Motown.
Social Network
Robinson maintains a strong presence in the music industry but is not particularly active on mainstream social media platforms. He is often celebrated for his contributions to music and culture through various tributes and interviews.
"My Uncle Claude was my favorite uncle. He was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me to see cowboy movies all the time when I was a little boy because I loved cowboy movies. He got a cowboy name for me, which was Smokey Joe. So from the time I was three years old if people asked me what my name was I didn't tell them my name was William, I told them my name was Smokey Joe. That's what everyone called me until I was about 12 and then I dropped the Joe part. I've heard that story about him giving it to me because I'm a light skinned black man but that's not true."
Christmas Everyday was Robinson's first post-Miracles Christmas album, and was released on November 10, 2017. In 2018, he appeared on an episode of CMT Crossroads alongside country singer Cam.
According to Robinson, he had affairs with multiple women while married to Claudette, among them an approximately year-long affair with Diana Ross. According to Robinson, Ross ended it because she felt uncomfortable as she was friends with Claudette, whom Robinson admitted he still loved. (A representative for Ross had no comment on Robinson's claim.) Robinson says that loving multiple people in that way simultaneously is natural.
Controversially, original Miracle Marv Tarplin was not honored, against the wishes of his fellow Miracles and the group's fans, who felt that he should have also been there to share the honor. Later, Tarplin did receive his star. He was also inducted with the rest of the original Miracles, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Claudette Robinson, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, 25 years after Robinson's controversial solo induction in 1987. He was also awarded Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Education
There is limited information available about Smokey Robinson's formal education. However, his early life and career were heavily influenced by his love for music and his involvement in the Detroit music scene.
In summary, Smokey Robinson's enduring legacy in music and his diverse business ventures have solidified his status as a music legend, with a net worth reflecting his successful career spanning over six decades.
He attended Northern High School, where he was above average academically and a determined athlete. However, his main interest was music, and he formed a doo-wop group named the Five Chimes. He and Aretha Franklin lived several houses from each other on Belmont; he said he'd known Franklin since she was about five, overhearing her play the piano when he had come to play with her older brother Cecil after her family first moved to Detroit.
In April 2017, Robinson visited Fremont-Lopez Elementary School in Stockton, California, where he served as a designated arts mentor under Turnaround Arts.
In 1993, Robinson was awarded a medal at the National Medal of Arts. Two years before, he won the Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards. In 2005, Robinson was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. At its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006, Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa. In December 2006 Robinson was one of five Kennedy Center honorees, along with Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
In 2009, Robinson received an honorary doctorate degree—along with Linda Ronstadt—and gave a commencement speech at Berklee College of Music's commencement ceremony. In 2015, he was given a BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
