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Can you handle the truth? Bob Ross' famous curly hair was actually straight

Painting icon Bob Ross' signature perm was initially a ploy to save money on haircuts, his business partner revealed. But once he became famous, he couldn't change it.
/ Source: TODAY

The happy little trees are a little bit sadder and nothing will ever be the same again now that we know the truth about Bob Ross' hair.

The majestic curly afro that had a bird's eye view to all of his wonderful 30-minute creations on "The Joy of Painting" in the 1980s and early 1990s was (gasp!) a perm.

On top of that, Ross hated it. Everything we know about the world is a lie.

"He got this bright idea that he could save money on haircuts," his longtime business partner Annette Kowalski told NPR. "So he let his hair grow, he got a perm, and decided he would never need a haircut again."

Ross had just retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service and was trying to make it as an artist when he left his straight hair in the dustbin of history.

As a young man, his pre-perm hairstyle was more of an inspiration for the future Vanilla Ice.

And even his later hair was more of the "Is that real or a bad toupee?" variety. Let's be honest, would you take soothing painting advice from that guy? In his defense, something had to be done.

Once Ross gained popularity, the 'fro globe became such a part of his identity that it was even included in his company's logo. There was no going back.

"He could never, ever, ever change his hair, and he was so mad about that," Kowalski said. "He got tired of that curly hair."

Ross, who died in 1995 at 52 years old, has lived on via Netflix to soothe another generation with his calming voice and talk of happy little trees and tranquil streams. All while secretly wanting to rip his hair out.

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