Age, Biography, and Wiki
Marvin Gaye was born on April 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C. He was a prominent figure in the Motown era, known for his smooth vocals and impactful songwriting. Gaye's life was marked by both immense success and personal struggles, including financial issues that persisted until his death on April 1, 1984.
| Occupation | Blues Singer |
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| Date of Birth | 2 April 1939 |
| Age | 86 Years |
| Birth Place | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 1 April, 1984 |
| Died Place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Marvin Gaye's height and weight are not widely documented, his presence in the music industry was undeniable. His physical stature was often overshadowed by his charismatic stage presence and vocal talents.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Marvin Gaye was married twice, first to Anna Gordy (1963–1977) and then to Denise Gordy (1977–1981). He had two children, Marvin III and Nona Gaye. His personal life was complex, with both relationships and family dynamics influencing his music and personal struggles.
On April 1, 1984, Gaye intervened during a fight between his parents at their home in Western Heights, Los Angeles. Gaye's father, Marvin Gay Sr., subsequently shot and killed Gaye; it was the eve of his 45th birthday. Gay Sr. later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, receiving a six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation. Institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with such awards and honors as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and inductions into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Gaye was the second oldest of the couple's four children. He had two sisters, Jeanne and Zeola, and one brother, Frankie Gaye. He also had two half-brothers: Michael Cooper, his mother's son from a previous relationship, and Antwaun Carey Gay, born as a result of one of his father's extramarital affairs. Gaye started singing in church when he was four years old; his father often accompanied him on piano. Gaye and his family were part of a conservative church known as the House of God that took its teachings from Pentecostalism, with a strict code of conduct. Gaye developed a love of singing at an early age and was encouraged to pursue a professional music career after a performance at a school play at 11 singing Mario Lanza's "Be My Love". His home life consisted of "brutal whippings" by his father, who struck him for any shortcoming. The young Gaye described living in his father's house as similar to "living with a king, a very peculiar, changeable, cruel, and all powerful king". He felt that had his mother not consoled him and encouraged his singing, he would have committed suicide. His sister later explained that Gaye was beaten often, from age seven well into his teenage years.
Gaye briefly attended Spingarn High School before transferring to Cardozo High School. At Cardozo, Gaye joined several doo-wop vocal groups, including the Dippers and the D.C. Tones. During his teenage years, his father would kick him out of the house often. In 1956, 17-year-old Gaye dropped out of high school and enlisted in the United States Air Force as an airman basic. His early disenchantment with the service was similar to most of his peers who were made to perform menial labor, not working on jet airplanes as hoped. Gaye later said he lost his virginity to a local prostitute while in the Air Force. He feigned mental illness and was given a "General Discharge", with an outgoing performance review from his sergeant remarking "Airman Gay cannot adjust to regimentation nor authority".
When Gaye signed with Tamla, he pursued a career as a performer of jazz music and standards, having no desire to become an R&B performer. Before the release of his first single, Gaye started spelling his surname with an added "e", in the same way as did Sam Cooke. Author David Ritz wrote that Gaye did this to silence rumors of his sexuality, and to put more distance between himself and his father.
On February 13, 1983, Gaye sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NBA All-Star Game at The Forum in Inglewood, California—accompanied by Gordon Banks, who played the studio tape from the stands. The following month, Gaye performed at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special. This and a May appearance on Soul Train (his third appearance on the show) became Gaye's final television performances. Gaye embarked on his final concert tour, titled the Sexual Healing Tour, on April 18, 1983, at The El Cortez Hotel Concerts by the Bay in San Diego. The tour, which had 51 dates in total and included a then-record six sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, ended on August 14, 1983, at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California, but was plagued by cocaine-triggered paranoia and illness. Following the concert's end, he moved into his parents' house in Los Angeles. In early 1984, Midnight Love was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category, his 12th and final nomination.
Gaye was the father of three children: Marvin III, by adoption; Nona; and Frankie. Marvin III was the biological son of Anna's niece, Denise Gordy, who was 16 at the time of the birth. Nona and Frankie were born to Gaye's second wife, Janis. At the time of his death, Gaye was survived by his three children, mother, father, and five siblings.
In the early afternoon of April 1, 1984, Gaye intervened in a fight between his parents in the family house in the West Adams neighborhood of Western Heights in Los Angeles. He became involved in a physical altercation with his father, Marvin Gay Sr., who shot Gaye twice, once in the chest, piercing his heart, and then into his shoulder. The shooting took place in Gaye's bedroom at 12:38 p.m. Gaye was pronounced dead at 1:01 p.m. after his body arrived at California Hospital Medical Center.
As a child, Gaye's main influence was his minister father, something he later acknowledged to biographer David Ritz, and also in interviews, often mentioning that his father's sermons greatly impressed him. His first major musical influences were doo-wop groups such as The Moonglows and The Capris. Gaye's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame page lists the Capris' song, "God Only Knows" as "critical to his musical awakening". Of the Capris' song, Gaye said, "It fell from the heavens and hit me between the eyes. So much soul, so much hurt. I related to the story, to the way that no one except the Lord really can read the heart of lonely kids in love." Gaye's main musical influences were Rudy West of The Five Keys, Clyde McPhatter, Ray Charles and Little Willie John. Gaye considered Frank Sinatra a major influence in what he wanted to be. He also was influenced by the vocal styles of Billy Eckstine and Nat King Cole.
A year later, Gaye's mother founded the Marvin P. Gaye Jr. Memorial Foundation in dedication to her son to help those suffering from drug abuse and alcoholism; however she died a day before the memorial was set to open in 1987. Gaye's sister Jeanne once served as the foundation's chairperson. In 1988, a year after his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Gaye was inducted posthumously to the NAACP Hall of Fame. In 1990, Gaye received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1996, Gaye posthumously received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed three Gaye recordings, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "What's Going On" and "Sexual Healing", among its list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Gaye No. 18 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", sixth on their list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" and number 82 on their list of the "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time". Q magazine ranked Gaye sixth on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers".
Cameron Crowe had also been working on a biopic titled My Name Is Marvin. The film was to have been a Sony presentation with Scott Rudin as producer. Both Will Smith and Terrence Howard were considered for the role of Gaye. Crowe later confirmed in August 2011 that he abandoned the project: "We were working on the Marvin Gaye movie which is called My Name is Marvin, but the time just wasn't right for that movie." Members of Gaye's family, such as his ex-wife Janis and his son Marvin III, have expressed opposition to a biopic.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Anna Gordy (m. 1963-1977) Janis Hunter (m. 1977-1982) |
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Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his death, Marvin Gaye had a negative net worth of approximately $9 million due to unpaid taxes, legal issues, and personal expenses. However, his estate has since recovered, with estimates suggesting it is worth between $5 million and $9 million today, primarily due to continued royalties from his music.
In December 1978, Gaye released Here, My Dear, inspired by the fallout from his first marriage to Anna Gordy. Recorded with the intention of remitting a portion of its royalties to her as alimony payments, it performed poorly on the charts. During that period, Gaye's cocaine addiction intensified while he was dealing with several financial issues with the IRS. These issues led him to move to Maui, where he struggled to record a disco-influenced album titled Love Man, with a probable release date for February 1980, though he would later shelve the project. That year, Gaye went on a European tour, his first in four years. By the time the tour stopped, he had relocated to London when he feared imprisonment for failure to pay back taxes, which had now reached upwards of $4.5 million (US$0 in ).
Early Career and Success
Marvin Gaye began his career in the 1950s, eventually joining Motown Records in 1961. He became one of the label's most successful artists, known for hits like "What's Going On," "Let's Get It On," and "Sexual Healing".
Gaye's Motown hits include "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (1964), "Ain't That Peculiar" (1965), and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968). He also recorded duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell, and Diana Ross. During the 1970s, Gaye became one of the first Motown artists to break away from the reins of a production company and recorded the landmark albums What's Going On (1971) and Let's Get It On (1973).
Moonglows co-founder Harvey Fuqua later hired the Marquees as employees. Under Fuqua's direction, the group changed its name to Harvey and the New Moonglows, and moved to Chicago. The group recorded several sides for Chess in 1959, including the song "Mama Loocie", which was Gaye's first lead vocal recording. The group found work as session singers for established acts such as Chuck Berry, singing on the songs "Back in the U.S.A." and "Almost Grown".
Gaye ceased writing afterwards and began a period mostly singing songs given to him by Motown staff writers, the first of which were the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, whom he produced the hits "Can I Get a Witness", "You're a Wonderful One" and the top ten single "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" with. In October 1964, he performed in the concert film The T.A.M.I. Show. Gaye began collaborating with Smokey Robinson, with which he scored his first career million-selling singles, "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Peculiar", which hit number one on the R&B charts and crossed over to the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Still, Gaye's aspirations to become a lounge jazz singer remained unabated and Gaye recorded the jazz albums, When I'm Alone I Cry, Hello Broadway, A Tribute to the Great Nat King Cole were all released to little fanfare. A 1966 live album, recorded at the Copacabana, set for a 1967 release, was shelved due to Gaye and Gordy fighting over control of the project.
Tammi Terrell died from brain cancer on March 16, 1970; Gaye attended her funeral and after a period of depression, Gaye sought out a position on a professional football team, the Detroit Lions, where he later befriended Mel Farr and Lem Barney. Barney and Farr had gotten gold records for providing backup vocals for the title track of Gaye's What's Going On album. The Lions played along for the publicity, but ultimately declined an invitation for Gaye to try out, owing to legal liabilities and fears of possible injuries that could have affected his music career.
In the 1970s, Gaye's sister-in-law turned her attention to Frankie Beverly, the founder of Maze. Gaye took them on his tours, featured them as the opening acts of his concerts, and persuaded Beverly to change the band's name from Raw Soul to Maze.
As his Motown career developed, Gaye took inspiration from fellow label mates such as David Ruffin of The Temptations and Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops, whose grittier voices led to Gaye and his producer seeking a similar sound in recordings such as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "That's the Way Love Is". Later in his life, Gaye reflected on the influence of Ruffin and Stubbs, stating: "I had heard something in their voices something my own voice lacked." He further explained, "the Tempts and Tops' music made me remember that when a lot of women listen to music, they want to feel the power of a real man."
Prior to recording the What's Going On album, Gaye recorded a cover of the song, "Abraham, Martin & John", which became a UK hit in 1970. Despite some political music and socially conscious material recorded by The Temptations, Motown artists were often told to not delve into political and social commentary, for fear of alienating pop audiences. Early in his career, Gaye was affected by social events including the 1965 Watts riots and once asked himself: "with the world exploding around me, how am I supposed to keep singing love songs?" When Gaye called Gordy in the Bahamas about wanting to do protest music, Gordy told him: "Marvin, don't be ridiculous. That's taking things too far."
Social Network
Marvin Gaye's social presence is largely managed by his estate, which focuses on preserving his legacy through various platforms. His music and influence remain highly active across social media and music streaming services.
Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. and domestic worker Alberta Gay (née Cooper). His first home was in a public housing project, the Fairfax Apartments (now demolished) at 1617 1st Street SW in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood. Although one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, with many elegant Federal-style homes, most buildings were small, in extensive disrepair, and lacked both electricity and running water. The alleys were full of one- and two-story shacks, and nearly every dwelling was overcrowded. Gaye and his friends nicknamed the area "Simple City", owing to it being "half-city, half country".
After reaching the top 20 on the pop charts with the hit single, "It Takes Two" with Kim Weston in late 1966, Gaye began working with Tammi Terrell on a series of hit duets in 1967, mostly composed by Ashford & Simpson, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By".
In October 1967, Terrell collapsed in Gaye's arms during a performance in Farmville, Virginia. Terrell was subsequently rushed to Farmville's Southside Community Hospital, where doctors discovered she had a malignant tumor in her brain. The diagnosis ended Terrell's career as a live performer, though she continued to record music under careful supervision. Despite the presence of successful singles such as "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By", Terrell's illness caused problems with recording, and led to multiple operations to remove the tumor. Gaye was reportedly devastated by Terrell's sickness and became disillusioned with the record business.
In late 1968, Gaye's recording of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" became his first to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top of the charts in other countries, selling over four million copies. However, Gaye felt the success was something he "didn't deserve" and that he "felt like a puppet – Berry's puppet, Anna's puppet". Gaye followed it up with "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and "That's the Way Love Is", which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. That year, his album M.P.G. became his first No. 1 album on the R&B album charts. During this period, Gaye produced and co-wrote "Baby I'm For Real" and "The Bells" for the Originals.
Assigned to CBS's Columbia subsidiary, Gaye worked on his first post-Motown album titled Midnight Love. The first single from the album, "Sexual Healing", which was written and recorded in Ostend in Freddy Cousaert's apartment, was released in October 1982, and became Gaye's biggest career success, spending a record 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Black Singles chart, becoming the biggest R&B hit of the 1980s according to Billboard stats. In January 1983, it successfully crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 3, while the record reached international success, reaching the top spot in New Zealand and Canada and reaching the top 10 on the United Kingdom's OCC singles chart, Australia and Belgium, later selling more than two million copies in the U.S. alone, becoming Gaye's most successful single to date. The video for the song was shot at Ostend's Casino-Kursaal.
Three of Gaye's albums – What's Going On (1971), Let's Get It On (1973), and Here, My Dear (1978) – were ranked by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. What's Going On remains his largest-ranked album, reaching No. 6 on the Rolling Stone list and topped the NME list of the Top 100 Albums of All Time in 1985 and was later chosen in 2003 for inclusion by the Library of Congress to its National Recording Registry. In a revised 2020 Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, What's Going On was listed as the greatest album of all time. In addition, four of his songs – "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "What's Going On", "Let's Get It On" and "Sexual Healing" – made it on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2005, Gaye was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2006, Watts Branch Park, a park in Washington that Gaye frequented as a teenager, was renamed Marvin Gaye Park. Three years later, the 5200 block of Foote Street NE in Deanwood, Washington, D.C., was renamed Marvin Gaye Way. In August 2014, Gaye was inducted to the official Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in its second class. In October 2015, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Gaye as a nominee for induction to the Hall's 2016 class after posthumous nominations were included. Gaye was named as a posthumous inductee to that hall on March 2, 2016. Gaye was subsequently inducted to the Songwriters Hall on June 9, 2016. In July 2018, a bill by California politician Karen Bass to rename a post office in South Los Angeles after Gaye was signed into law by President Donald Trump. Gaye was ranked number 20 on Rolling Stone's "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time" published in January 2023.
In 2007, his song "A Funky Space Reincarnation" was used in the Charlize Theron–starred ad for Dior J'Adore perfume. A documentary about Gaye—What's Going On: The Marvin Gaye Story—was a UK/PBS co-production, directed by Jeremy Marre and was first broadcast in 2006. Two years later, the special re-aired with a different production and newer interviews after it was re-broadcast as an American Masters special. Another documentary, focusing on his 1981 documentary, Transit Ostend, titled Remember Marvin, aired in 2006.
There have been several attempts to adapt Gaye's life story into a feature film. In February 2006, it was reported that Jesse L. Martin was to portray Gaye in a biopic titled Sexual Healing, named after Gaye's 1982 song of the same name. The film was to have been directed by Lauren Goodman and produced by James Gandolfini and Alexandra Ryan. The film was to depict the final three years of Gaye's life. Years later, other producers such as Jean-Luc Van Damme, Frederick Bestall and Jimmy De Brabant, came aboard and Goodman was replaced by Julien Temple. Lenny Kravitz was almost slated to play Gaye. The script was to be written by Matthew Broughton. The film was to have been distributed by Focus Features and released on April 1, 2014, the thirtieth anniversary of Gaye's death. This never came to fruition and it was announced that Focus Features no longer has involvement with the Gaye biopic as of June 2013.
Gaye did have acting aspirations and had signed with the William Morris Agency but that only lasted a year as Gaye was not satisfied with the support he was getting from the agency. In his interview with David Ritz, Gaye admitted being interested in show business particularly when he was hired to compose the soundtrack for Trouble Man. "No doubt I could have been a movie star, but it was something my subconscious rejected. Not that I didn't want it, I most certainly did. I just didn't have the fortitude to play the Hollywood game: to put myself out there, knowing they would eat my rear end like a piece of meat."
Education
Marvin Gaye's formal education was limited, but he was musically trained from an early age. His skills were largely developed through his involvement in local music groups and his early experiences in the music industry.
Gaye attended Syphax Elementary School and then Randall Junior High School. Gaye began to take singing much more seriously in junior high, and he joined and became a singing star with the Randall Junior High Glee Club.
Gaye released his first single, "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide", in May 1961, with the album The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, following a month later. Gaye's initial recordings failed commercially and he spent most of 1961 performing session work as a drummer for artists such as the Miracles, the Marvelettes and blues artist Jimmy Reed for $5 (US$0 in ) a week. While Gaye took some advice on performing with his eyes open (having been accused of appearing as though he were sleeping) and also got pointers on how to move more gracefully onstage, he refused to attend grooming school courses at the John Robert Powers School for Social Grace in Detroit because of his unwillingness to comply with its orders, something he later regretted.
In the fall of that year, a master tape of a rough draft of the album was stolen from one of Gaye's traveling musicians, Frank Blair, and taken to Motown's Hollywood headquarters. Motown remixed the album and released it on January 15, 1981. When Gaye learned of its release, he accused Motown of editing and remixing the album without his consent, allowing the release of an unfinished production ("Far Cry"), altering the cover art and removing the album title's question mark, muting its irony. He also accused the label of rush-releasing the album, comparing his unfinished album to an unfinished Pablo Picasso painting. Gaye then vowed not to record any more music for Motown.
After Gaye's funeral, his body was cremated at Forest Lawn Memorial Park–Hollywood Hills, and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean. Gay Sr. was initially charged with first-degree murder, but the charges were reduced to voluntary manslaughter following a diagnosis of a brain tumor. He was given a suspended six-year sentence and probation. He died at a nursing home in 1998.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 1987, declaring that Gaye "made a huge contribution to soul music in general and the Motown Sound in particular". The page stated that Gaye "possessed a classic R&B voice that was edged with grit yet tempered with sweetness". The page further states that Gaye "projected an air of soulful authority driven by fervid conviction and heartbroken vulnerability". A year after his death, then-mayor of D.C., Marion Barry declared April 2 as "Marvin Gaye Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund Day" in the city. Since then, a non-profit organization has helped to organize annual Marvin Gaye Day Celebrations in the city of Washington.
