A spectrum A = { lambda (1) , . . . , lambda (n) } of complex numbers is said to be realizable if it is the spectrum of an entrywise nonnegative matrix A. The spectrum A is diagonalizably realizable ( DR ) if the realizing matrix A is diagonalizable, and A is universally realizable ( UR ) if it is realizable for each possible Jordan canonical form allowed by A. In 1981, Minc proved that if A is the spectrum of a diagonalizable positive matrix, then A is universally realizable. One of the main open questions about the problem of universal realizability of spectra is whether DR implies UR . Here, we prove a surprisingly simple result, which shows how diagonalizably realizable implies universally realizable.