Top Five Divas to Come Back in Concert

March 29, 2010 — -- It's article No. 7 in the Diva Handbook (before "False eyelashes fix everything" and after "If someone talks smack, smack them"):

You can't stay away from the stage forever.

Diana Ross is the latest diva planning a larger-than-life concert tour after years away from the spotlight. Below, check out how the former Supreme hopes to rule the stage again, plus how four other divas orchestrated their own epic comebacks.

Diana Ross

Regardless of what the weather brings this summer, Ross plans to make the season sizzle. The 65-year-old Motown legend kicks off a month-long, cross-country tour in Boston, Mass. on May 15. On deck: her greatest hits, a live horn and strings section, and wardrobe changes galore.

A 12-time Grammy award nominee, Ross is singing royalty. In 1976, Billboard magazine named her the Female Entertainer of the Century. Recently, Ross has laid low in the entertainment industry, shying away from last summer's very public memorial for her longtime friend, Michael Jackson. But the title of Ross' upcoming tour, "More Today Than Yesterday," states that in her mind, her star power and songs -- like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I'm Coming Out" and "Endless Love" -- are as relevant as ever.

Whitney Houston

In the 1980s and '90s, Whitney Houston was unstoppable in the pop music world. The success of her 1987 world tour, "The Moment of Truth," helped make her No. 8 on Forbes' list of the top ten highest-earning entertainers that year. "I Will Always Love You," the theme song to Houston's 1992 debut film, "The Bodyguard," broke records worldwide and rocketed to No. 1 on the music charts of just about every country.

But substance-abuse issues and an abusive marriage brought Houston's to a halt for nearly a decade.

After finalizing her divorce from Bobby Brown in 2007, Houston released her first studio album in seven years, "I Look To You," in August 2009. It became her first No. 1 album since "The Bodyguard" and helped launch her "Nothing but Love" world tour, going on now. Though some say Houston's lost her signature voice, she's soldiered on, putting on shows in Asia, Australia and Europe (starting in April) despite fans and critics who've panned her performance.

Tina Turner

Tina Turner didn't start out a solo diva; she became a star with her husband, Ike, as part of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Together, they churned out timeless hits like "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Proud Mary" in the early 1970s.

But when her marriage soured amid allegations of abuse and drug use, she proved she had the strength and power to make it on her own. After divorcing Ike in 1978, she hit the big time with 1984's "What's Love Got to Do With It," which quickly rose to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The album that featured it, "Private Dancer," was a similar success. In February 1985, at the age of 44, Turner launched on her first solo world tour, selling out venues accross the U.S., Asia, Europe and Australia and blowing away performers half her age.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey burst onto the 1990s music scene as the sweet, sing-songy gal next door. Though she found commercial success with pop hits like "Dreamlover," "Emotions" and "Always Be My Baby," there was a diva inside, waiting to bust out.

That happened in 1998. After splitting with her manager, Tommy Mottola, both in business and in marriage, Carey debuted a new, sexier persona. But it took a while for the image to stick. Carey's 2001 autobiographical film, "Glitter," and the accompanying soundtrack were ridiculed by critics; both movie and album performed poorly. The following year, Carey's record label bought out her contract, creating further speculation that her career was over.

Not so. In 2005, Carey released her tenth studio album, "The Emancipation of Mimi," which became the best selling album of the year in the U.S. and won three Grammys. In 2006, Carey launched "The Adventures of Mimi Tour" -- decked out, vamped up and on top of the world.

Britney Spears

From bubblegum pop princess to bottom-of-the-barrel problem parent, Britney Spears has a story of the highs and lows of fame. After turning from Mickey Mouse Club cutie to teen pop idol with hits like 1998's "...Baby One More Time," 2000's "Oops!... I Did It Again" and 2001's "I'm a Slave 4 U," Spears veered from the traditonal trajectory to lasting stardom.

She married backup dancer Kevin Federline, had two children, divorced Federline -- and then fell off the deep end, rotating through the revolving door of rehab and staging bizarre public breakdowns. Spears started to rehab her career with her 2007 album, "Blackout," but it wasn't until 2009's "Circus" that she was ready to return to the stage in a big way.

In March 2009, Spears launched her seventh tour, "The Circus Starring Britney Spears." While it featured more modest dance routines and less provocative outfits than her past tours, all of its North American shows sold out, signaling to both fans and critics that Spears intended to stick around for a while to come.