Anna Gordy Gaye obuary | Motown rerds | The Guardian

Contents:

• ANNA GORDY GAYE, EX-WIFE OF MARV GAYE, DEAD AT 92
• ANNA GORDY GAYE, MOTOWN SONGWRER AND EX-WIFE OF MARV GAYE, DEAD AT 92
• ANNA GORDY GAYE OBUARY
• ANNA GORDY GAYE, EX-WIFE OF MARV GAYE AND SISTER OF BERRY GORDY, DI AT 92
• THE DARK SI OF MARV GAYE’S 1ST MARRIAGE INVOLVED HIS WIFE’S 15-YEAR-OLD NIECE

ANNA GORDY GAYE, EX-WIFE OF MARV GAYE, DEAD AT 92

Anna Gordy Gaye, olr sister of Motown founr Berry Gordy and ex-wife of Marv Gaye, died today at age 92, a Motown reprentative nfirmed.

Gordy Gaye played a key role Marv Gaye’s life, both personally and profsnally. Early his reer, Gaye worked as a dmmer for Anna Rerds, a rerd label found by Anna and her sister Gwen wh songwrer Roquel “Billy” Davis. The Spir, the Flh and Marv Gaye.

Gordy Gaye herself wrote three of Marv’s songs: “God Is Love” and “Fly’ High (In the Friendly Sky)” om 1971’s landmark album What’s Gog On and “Jt to Keep You Satisfied” om 1973’s Let’s Get It On. Gordy Gaye’s marriage to Marv was one of the most turbulent mic, marked by equent fightg and fily. (Gaye fell love wh 17-year-old Janis Hunter durg the rerdg of Let’s Get It On).

ANNA GORDY GAYE, MOTOWN SONGWRER AND EX-WIFE OF MARV GAYE, DEAD AT 92

Wh ltle sh to pay for back tax and Anna’s divorce settlement, Gaye agreed to pay Anna $600, 000, wh the first $307, 000 g om an advance agast royalti off his next album and the remag $293, 000 to be paid om any future royalti. Gaye began work on Here, My Dear, a btally hont tobgraphil acunt of his relatnship wh Anna; s tl –”When Did You Stop Lovg Me, When Did I Stop Lovg You, ” “You Can Leave, But It’s Gog to Cost You” – exemplified the album’s personal them. Here, My Dear told specific stori about the duo’s past, g Anna to nsir a $5 ln vasn-of-privacy su agast Gaye.

Crilly maligned upon s 1978 release (dis fans did not want to hear a double-album about breakups and heartache), Here, My Dear has sce beme an sential album Gaye’s talog and is often ced as one of his bt works. Gordy Gaye and Gaye renciled the early 1980s, wh Anna by Marv’s si at the 1983 Grammy Awards.

Anna Gordy Gaye is survived by her brothers, Berry and Robert, her son, Marv Gaye III, and two grandsons, Marv IV and Dillon. Anna Gordy Gaye, the sister of Motown founr Berry Gordy and former wife of the late Marv Gaye, wh whom she -wrote songs for his "What's Gog On" album, died at her home Los Angel early….

ANNA GORDY GAYE OBUARY

Anna Gordy Gaye. Anna Gordy Gaye, the sister of Motown founr Berry Gordy and former wife of the late Marv Gaye, wh whom she -wrote songs for his “What’s Gog On” album, died at her home Los Angel early Friday morng.

An official fay statement said Gordy Gaye was surround by her son Marv Gaye III and other loved on.

Earlier, a fay publicist said Gaye passed away om natural . She married Motown artist Marv Gaye 1963 and worked as a songwrer for the Detro-based R&B/Soul label.

ANNA GORDY GAYE, EX-WIFE OF MARV GAYE AND SISTER OF BERRY GORDY, DI AT 92

The hband-wife team penned several hs, cludg “Baby, I’m For Real” and “The Bells” for The Origals, and later “Fly’ High (In the Friendly Sky)” and “God Is Love” off Gaye’s landmark “What’s Gog On” album, released 1971. Their 1977 divorce was unique that a settlement was worked out givg Gordy Gaye the royalti of Gaye’s next album, which he filled wh personal songs about the failed relatnship.

The pair later renciled and remaed iends until Gaye’s ath 1984. Gordy Gaye is survived by son Marv Gaye III. When Anna Gordy divorced Marv Gaye 1975, the settlement was unual: she would receive the proceeds om his next album – $305, 000 om the advance and $295, 000 future royalti – li of matenance and child support.

Gaye claimed to be broke, but sce he was enjoyg a perd of succs wh such hs as What's Gog On and Let's Get It On, Gordy, who has died aged 92, uld have looked forward to substantial pensatn for the end of their turbulent 12-year marriage.

THE DARK SI OF MARV GAYE’S 1ST MARRIAGE INVOLVED HIS WIFE’S 15-YEAR-OLD NIECE

She would have been equally unhappy about s relative mercial failure, but time has shown to be the last of Gaye's masterpiec for Motown, the pany found by Anna's younger brother was not the only imprt she left on the soul mic of the 1960s and 70s. The words of some of Gaye's early hs, notably Pri and Joy, were spired by the betiful and sophistited woman he had met when he was still a ssn dmmer. She beme his ocsnal songwrg partner, llaboratg on two songs – Fly' High and God is Love – for the classic album What's Gog On, and on The Bells and Baby I'm For Real, two of the ft soul ballads of the early 1970s, both rerd by the Origals, a Motown vol group, unr Gaye's third of the eight children born to Berry "Pops" Gordy II and his wife Bertha, Anna was not a year old when the fay moved om Onee, Geia, her birthplace, to Detro, a cy on whose worldwi reputatn the amb and entreprenrial fay would have much fluence.