The Life, Career, and Untimely Death of Motown Legend Marv Gaye

Contents:

• DGS, WE WOMEN AND MIC: THE LIFE AND ATH OF MARV GAYE
• WHAT THE LAST 12 MONTHS OF MARV GAYE'S LIFE WERE LIKE
• MARV GAYE: A LOOK INSI HIS FAL YEAR OF LIFE
• MARV GAYE’S EX DETAILS SGER’S SEXUAL DEVIANCE, DGS NEW MEMOIR
• WHAT MARV GAYE'S FAL YEAR WAS REALLY LIKE
• MARV GAYE’S WIFE REVEALS HOW HE TORTURED HER
• THE DARK SI OF MOTOWN: FROM MARV GAYE'S MURR TO ABE AND DG ADDICTN
• 10 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT MARV GAYE
• ‘I WAS A JUNKIE’: SMOKEY ROBSON REVEALS MARV GAYE’S DEATH CSED DOWNWARD SPIRAL; ADDICTN CSED HIM TO LOSE SO MUCH WEIGHT HE USED SAFETY PS TO HOLD UP HIS PANTS
• WHY MARV GAYE'S DEATH IS MORE TRAGIC THAN YOU KNOW
• YOU HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVE: THE ED SHEERAN-MARV GAYE TRIAL STARTS TODAY
• THE LIFE AND TRAGIC ATH OF MARV GAYE, THE SON OF A PREACHER WHO BEME MOTOWN'S VOICE OF POLIL CHANGE AND DIED AT THE HANDS OF HIS OWN FATHER

DGS, WE WOMEN AND MIC: THE LIFE AND ATH OF MARV GAYE

Damian Corls exam the endurg legacy of the Motown matroThe way his life was gog, 's unlikely Marv Gaye was gog to be around for his 75th birthday this week. As thgs panned out, the slky Kg of Soul didn't even make to his 45th – shot ad by his own father wh jt hours to and paranoid for months, the sger had taken to wearg a bulletproof vt he only removed when he was about to step on stage, or when he got home to the hoe he'd signed over to his parents to keep om his was late morng when Gaye's father entered his bedroom and, whout sayg a word, shot him the heart.

She was also the sister of Berry Gordy, whose new Motown Rerds label was gearg up as pop's greatt hs the time they tied the knot 1963, Marv was a ntenr a Motown stable that already featured Smokey Robson, Ltle Stevie Wonr, The Temptatns, Martha And The Vanllas and (though as yet they uldn't get arrted) The a youngster, Marv hated his sweet, high-pched voice, addg an 'e' to the fay name, Gay, to flect pok at his sexualy – his father's penchant for women's cloth was a neighbourhood joke, to Marv's endls his voice me out clear on the tny 1960s transistor rads and he racked up a n of h sgl as a solo artist and duets wh Mary Wells, Kim Wton and soul-mate Tammi Gaye's vorac sexual appete was well-known, his love for Tyrell seemgly stayed platonic. Such was his self-assurance, he uld now throw down the gntlet to the label's dictatorial founr, and his brother--law, Berry 's marriage to Anna Gordy was eefall, but if this fuelled Gordy's hostily to Gaye's latt scheme, wasn't the only still passnately believed the power of the sgle.

WHAT THE LAST 12 MONTHS OF MARV GAYE'S LIFE WERE LIKE

"He got a spend sentence for voluntary It Through The Grapeve: how artist changed the face of soulWhen 21-year-old Marv Gaye, right, signed for Motown Rerds 1960 some begdgers said was only bee he was datg the boss's eventually married Anna Gordy, siblg of the legendary Berry, but their creasgly shaky marriage didn't help pull many strgs wh his beme Motown's top star – and one of the most fluential figur pop history – by dt of his sweet voice, his peerls phrasg, and his gifts wh a lyric and a melody.

MARV GAYE: A LOOK INSI HIS FAL YEAR OF LIFE

Wh popular mic spltg down the appallg vistas of dumb heavy metal, gormls prog rock and wsy atic navel gazg, Gaye showed that mic uld be so much more. Gaye had jt won two Grammy Awards for Sexual Healg, Midnight Love was risg to the Top 10, and Gaye had his eighth #1 album on the Top Black Albums chart (now known as R&B/HipHop).

And on May 16, 1983, Marv Gaye's performance on "Motown 25: Yterday, Today, and Forever" proved to be as spellbdg as ever — though Gaye was noticeably haggard. Gaye was far om a perfect man; sex-obssed and dg-addicted, wh a seri of broken relatnships, Gaye had been stgglg wh his mental health for some time. Acrdg to the Washgton Post, his younger sister, Zeola Gaye, said that he was paranoid and believed that someone was tryg to kill him — tth, seems as though the only person tryg to kill Gaye was himself.

MARV GAYE’S EX DETAILS SGER’S SEXUAL DEVIANCE, DGS NEW MEMOIR

Durg the last year of his life, acrdg to Jet, Gaye's current girliend Deborah Derrick reported that she was rryg Marv's unborn child (she later misrried). By the time I was twelve, there wasn't an ch on my body that hadn't been bised and beaten by him, " Marv Gaye once said, acrdg to Divid Soul: The Life of Marv Gaye. A scuffle ensued, after which Gaye's father me back and shot him twice the cht — wh the pistol that Gaye himself had sent him some months earlier.

WHAT MARV GAYE'S FAL YEAR WAS REALLY LIKE

Acrdg to the Inpennt, a rerd nversatn revealed his secury officer warned Gaye that if he kept provokg his father, "he's told you what he'll do.

Marv Gaye would be ducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1987 and earned the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 1996 — spe a life cut short. But the last months of Gaye's life don't tell the entire story; the story of a child domated by a father who would eventually go on to kill him. And this emotnal void was said to have ntributed to his rapid cle his fal year and eventually led to Marv Gaye's tragic ath at the hands of his father.

In his last year of life, he even moved back wh his parents, settg the stage for a prolonged power stggle between the two men — and for the vlent nontatn that would take Gaye's life. "I thk a lot of who survived those years had a different way of lookg at life, lookg at through a ke spoon or smokg too much weed, " Gaye's ex-wife Janis Gaye told The Detro News.

MARV GAYE’S WIFE REVEALS HOW HE TORTURED HER

But his fal year, as his nflict wh his father tensified, Gaye's recreatnal e of dgs had turned to a dangero ctch — one that only brought more nflict and difficulty to his life. Dpe his mercial succs, Marv Gaye spent his fal years owg way more than he was brgg , and his money problems only tensified his last year of life. Still, Gaye found ways to brg extra sh his fal days, cludg sellg the mic royalty rights for his songs to Motown Rerds, acrdg to Celebry Net Worth.

In his last year of life, Marv Gaye was unr prsure om all sis — om troubled fay relatnships to his stggl wh dgs and profsnal prsure to tour, somethg that he never enjoyed, acrdg to Ebony.

THE DARK SI OF MOTOWN: FROM MARV GAYE'S MURR TO ABE AND DG ADDICTN

And this meant that, which he did receive some ath threats as large stars unfortunately sometim do, some of the most dntg threats Marv Gaye faced his fal months existed only his md. While no evince of any such threats ever emerged, Gaye neverthels sisted on wearg a bulletproof vt and havg armed guards statned outsi his hotel room. As he grew more agated and emotnally isolated his fal year, Marv Gaye seemgly sought to return to the stabily and fort of two of the people who had known him the bt and red for him the most — his two ex-wiv, Anna Gordy Gaye and Janis Gaye.

In his emotnal ght state, Ebony reported, Gaye attempted to rekdle relatnships wh both of them at the same time, tellg iends he was thkg of rtartg his relatnship wh Anna Gordy Gay, whom he divorced 1977, all while actively pursug Janis Gaye, who had recently broken off their relatnship. While Marv Gaye's relatnship wh his father had always been marked by hostily and nflict, he and his mother, Alberta Gay (she mataed the origal spellg of their fay name), had always been fiercely loyal to each other, acrdg to Ebony. And Gaye's fal year, as his mental, fancial, and personal problems approached a boilg pot, his mother remaed his most loyal protector and fenr spe his creasgly erratic behavr.

Wh his physil and mental health rapidly terratg his fal months and his star seemg to have crted — tickets for his fal tour cled as went on, acrdg to Ebony — Marv Gaye beme creasgly sponnt and self-stctive. Many who knew Gaye well spected he provoked his fal nontatn wh his father tentnally, wh a full unrstandg of how his vlence-prone father would react.

10 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT MARV GAYE

On April Fool's Day 1984, a day before what would have been Marv Gaye's 45th birthday, a fal — and fatal — dispute broke out between Gaye and his father, Marv Gay, Sr.

Alberta Gay, who wnsed the whole nontatn and narrowly missed a bullet herself, regnized the pistol: It was among the guns Gaye had given his parents for their personal safety some time before. Jan tails her days wh Gaye when they spent time the sger’s hiaway Topanga Canyon durg the summer of 1973 her upg memoir “After the Dance: My Life Wh Marv Gaye. ” As noted by Billboard, Gaye was workg on his classic album “Let’s Get It On” and still legally wed to Berry Gordy’s sister Anna Gordy when he met Jan, a 17-year-old stunt livg foster re, 1973.

‘I WAS A JUNKIE’: SMOKEY ROBSON REVEALS MARV GAYE’S DEATH CSED DOWNWARD SPIRAL; ADDICTN CSED HIM TO LOSE SO MUCH WEIGHT HE USED SAFETY PS TO HOLD UP HIS PANTS

She is noted today for beg among those who prevailed wh Gaye’s three children the “Blurred L” pyright lawsu over the entertaer’s h “Got to Give It Up, ” a song she sang back up vols on. In the David Rz -wrten “After the Dance: My Life Wh Marv Gaye, ” Jan remembers a happy perd Topanga Canyon, where “time stood still and love epened.

WHY MARV GAYE'S DEATH IS MORE TRAGIC THAN YOU KNOW

Pl, Gaye was able to satisfy the executiv at his longtime rerd label, Motown, by churng out a bunch of hs, om "I Heard It Through the Grapeve" to "What's Gog On" to "Sexual Healg.

Some of those thgs are mentned whenever people talk about his tragic ath, bee on April 1, 1984 — jt one day before his 45th birthday — Gaye's father, Marv Gay Sr., shot and killed him Los Angel, California the same hoe that Gaye prevly signed over to his parents. But there was another inic sger who kept a lot of people buzzg as they moonwalked, sce many were also talkg about Gaye's touchg performance the now-classic televised event. In a whe blazer and tan slacks, Gaye first gave a mic history lson, as he named some of the great artists of yteryear while ticklg the piano keys.

Some might say that between Gaye's talkg tro the performance and sgg "What's Gog On, " he not only showed his keen micianship, but perhaps a glimpse to his emotnal state, as his words seemed to have a touch of sadns to them. Pl, "Sexual Healg" uld be nsired a sequel to Gaye's 1973 cut, "Let's Get It On, " which also did well on the charts and explored the same subject matter.

YOU HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVE: THE ED SHEERAN-MARV GAYE TRIAL STARTS TODAY

"Sexual Healg, " which is off of Gaye's 17th (and fal) LP, "Midnight Love, " was wrten by the sger, as well as Oll Brown, and was Gaye's first h on Columbia after leavg Motown followg 20 years. The song also earned Gaye two Grammy Awards  1983, after he went through years of personal challeng, cludg two divorc and a mounta of fancial problems.

THE LIFE AND TRAGIC ATH OF MARV GAYE, THE SON OF A PREACHER WHO BEME MOTOWN'S VOICE OF POLIL CHANGE AND DIED AT THE HANDS OF HIS OWN FATHER

After Marv Gaye performed at the 33rd annual NBA All-Star Game on Febary 13, 1983, people were buzzg about that entire year, the year after, and 's still beg talked about today. It all went down at The Fom Inglewood, California, and Gaye's breathtakg performance was the perfect addn to his already succsful year, as his song, "Sexual Healg, " was a h and the rerd "Midnight Love, " which ho the sgle, was gettg a lot of attentn. Lookg ol enough to provi the dience wh air-ndng by jt starg at them, Gaye rocked a blue su wh dark aviator sunglass, and livered his signature smooth vols over a rollg dmbeat.