Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and musician. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of successes, which earned him the nicknames "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul".
Gaye's Motown songs include "Ain't That Peculiar", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)", and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". He also recorded duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell, and Diana Ross. During the 1970s, Gaye recorded the albums What's Going On (1971) and Let's Get It On (1973) and became one of the first artists in Motown to break away from the reins of a production company.
His later recordings influenced several R&B subgenres, such as quiet storm and neo soul. "Sexual Healing", released in 1982 on the album Midnight Love, won him his first two Grammy Awards. Gaye's last televised appearances were at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, where he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner"; and on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever; and Soul Train.
On April 1, 1984, on the day before his 45th birthday, Gaye was shot and killed by his father, Marvin Gay Sr., at their house in Western Heights, Los Angeles, after an argument. Gay Sr. later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and received a six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation.
Many institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with awards and other honors including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and inductions into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Birth Name: Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.
Born: April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died: April 1, 1984 (at age of 44) in Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Spouse(s): Anna Gordy (m. 1963; div. 1977)
Janis Hunter (m. 1977; div. 1982)
Children: 3, including Nona
Genre(s):
Soul,
rhythm and blues,
pop,
gospel,
funk,
R&B
Instrument(s):
Vocals,
keyboards,
drums
Occupation(s):
Singer,
songwriter,
musician,
record producer
Active From: 1957-1984
Did You Know:
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, the day before his 45th birthday.
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.