10 Tragic Details Surrounding The Final Moments Of Marvin Gaye

6 /10 Relationship Ups And Downs

Despite the report and rather an unusual argument, Marvin seemed to have a lot of respect for the father. The singer dedicated some of his works, such as “God Is Love” from the “What’s Going On” album to Senior.

Marvin referred to the song “Everybody Needs Love” from the “Here” album and said that his father needed love.

Marvin did the same thing again in “Joy,” dedicated to his father introducing him to the church. During concert tours, the singer often mentioned how his father’s sermons influenced his music as well.

5 /10 Popular Hits

Marvin Gaye was born on April 2, 1939, in Washington. As a child, he learned a lot about music through his role as an organ player in church.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he was part of a great generation of black performers alongside Gladys Knight & the Pips and Diana Ross, who rose to fame under Motown.

Even before hits like “Sexual Healing” and “Let’s Get It On” came out, Marvin had already established itself in the music industry, gaining critical acclaim as one of the most influential pop singers.

4 /10 Tax Difficulties

The mid-1960s saw Marvin Gaye at the peak of his popularity with songs like “You’re All I Need to Get By” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” which he performed with Tammi Terrell.

In 1967, Terrell collapsed in his arms on stage at a concert. When she died in March 1970, Marvin took a break from the limelight. At that time, he married Anna Gordy.

They finalized their divorce in 1977, from which Anna received no less than $600,000 in royalties. Failing to keep up with alimony payments, Marvin underwent tax difficulties and filed for bankruptcy.

3 /10 Suicide Attempt

In October 1977, Marvin married the second time Janis Hunter. The marriage only lasted a few years, and they finalized the divorce in 1981.

According to Marvin himself, the failure of that second marriage led to him attempting to commit suicide by ingesting a hefty dose of cocaine.

CBS managed to track him down in Europe and bought his contract from Motown for $2 million.

He subsequently produced recordings in Europe, but legal advisers made arrangements to help him repay his debts in the United States.

2 /10 A Milestone Of Pop

The album “What’s Going On” highlighted Marvin’s combined forms of music carrying the vocal prowess of jazz singers blended with the soulfulness of gospel and pop. Many consider the album a milestone of pop music in the 1970s.

It was an unmistakable collection of protest materials – the first from a prominent black singer under the Motown label – with outspoken social commentary.

However, Marvin’s following albums brought him back to his old style of sexually explicit songs. Michael Jackson once said Marvin Gaye’s music influenced him.

1 /10 Voluntary Manslaughter

Not long after the arrest, the authorities figured out that Gaye Sr. had a brain tumor. He was initially charged with first-degree murder, but it was dropped to voluntary manslaughter following the diagnosis.

An autopsy of Marvin’s body also revealed he had drugs in his system. The father was not sentenced to prison as the judge believed he had killed the son in self-defense.

He received a six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation, which meant he didn’t have to serve time in confinement. He died on October 10, 1998.