Miss Ross Says You'll Miss Ross

It may be the last run for the Surpemes. Diana Ross and two little-known former Supremes are being forced to stop - not in the name of love but in the name of poor ticket sales.

The highly publicized tour by the reconstituted Supremes was in turmoil Tuesday, with Ross saying it has been canceled and promoters insisting the shows will go on.

Three concerts -- in New York on Friday, Washington on Sunday and Pittsburgh on Monday -- were canceled. The group, which includes Ross, Lynda Laurence, and Scherrie Payne, already had performed in 12 cities, but to small crowds in some arenas.

Ross issued a statement Monday saying she was "severely disappointed" concert promoter SFX had decided to cancel the tour.

But Susan Rosenberg, a SFX spokeswoman, said in Tuesday's New York Daily News that the rest of the 23-show tour would continue. Shows are scheduled this week in Hartford, Conn., Boston and Atlantic City, N.J., with the final shows planned for early August.

The tour has suffered from bad karma ever since it was revealed that Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, who performed with Ross in the Supremes in the 1960s, refused to join because they felt they weren't being paid enough.

Ross soldiered on with Laurence and Payne, who had joined the Supremes after she had left in 1969, but they sang in some arenas to more empty seats than fans.

"I would sing the same if there were 10 people in the audience or 10,000," Ross said. "I love the music and the fans, and I will find a way to reconnect with them as soon as possible."

The Supremes had a number of Motown hits, including: Where Did Our Love Go, Baby Love, Stop! In the Name of Love and Back in My Arms Again.