Why did marvin gayes father kill his son

How Did Marvin Gaye Die? His Father Shot Him at Point-Blank Range

On April 1, 1984, musician Marvin Gaye was fatally shot by his own father. Although Marvin Gaye Sr. shot his son at point-blank range, the court granted him a plea bargain. Here, we separate down Marvin Gaye’s death and why his father was never punished for the murder of his son.

Tumultuous relationship

Marvin Gaye always had a strained relationship with his father. Marvin Gaye Sr. was a violent alcoholic who tended to take his anger out on his children – particularly Marvin.

Marvin Gaye had previously described living in his father’s house as “living with a king, a very peculiar, changeable, cruel, and all-powerful king.” Throughout his childhood, Marvin Gaye suffered abuse at the hands of his father nearly every day. As Marvin recounted, “by the age I was twelve, there wasn’t an inch of my body that hadn’t been bruised and defeated by him.”

Even Marvin’s mother, Alberta Gaye, knew that her husband hated her son. “my husband never wanted Marvin, and he never liked him. He used to say he didn’t think he was really his child. I told him that was nonsense. He knew Marvin was his. But for some reason, he didn’t

Marvin Gaye’s Death


Marvin Gaye was a singer and songwriter, known for his prominent role in the Motown tape company. He grew up in Washington, D.C, and was raised by his father, Marvin Homosexual, Sr, a minister, and his mother, Alberta Gay. Marvin first discovered his musical talent and passion by singing in his father’s church. As Marvin began his musical career, he was teased for his surname “Gay”, so he added an ‘E’ to the end of it, which created distance between him and his father, who had a rocky relationship. Marvin soon became successful in the music industry, and had created a number of hit songs. Marvin’s career helped to shape the approach and reputation of Motown Records.

On April 1, 1984, Marvin was fatally shot by his father in their Los Angeles home. On the day of the murder, Marvin and Marvin Sr were arguing about a misplaced insurance policy document. At this point, the relationship between Marvin and his father was as heated as ever – Marvin’s sister had moved out of the house just to avoid the conflict. In the months prior to his death, Marvin’s family reported that he was low and suicidal, and had even tried to jump out of a moving car. After

How did Marvin Gaye die? Inside the late soul music legend's tragic death

27 March 2024, 14:30

By Thomas Curtis-Horsfall

Marvin Gaye was a singular talent.

Few artists can attest to having the same kind of lasting impact that Marvin Gaye has had on popular music.

His involvement in Motown Records during the 1960s was key in establishing their sound and the series of acts the label produced, first as a session performer and later as the leading gentleman himself.

With timeless hits like 'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)' and 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine', Gaye helped propel Berry Gordy's hit-making machine of a tape label to chart success.

As he progressed as an artist through the following decades, it was Marvin's blend of social commentary and swooning balladry that arrange his stall as a one-of-a-kind star, becoming a bonafide legend of soul music in the process.

Surviving numerous highs and lows throughout his career such as drug addiction, divorce, and critical lashings for a handful of albums, he made his comeback in 1982 with arguably his most enduring hit, 'Sexual Healing'.

T

The tragic story of Marvin Gaye and the untimely death of a spirit legend

27 March 2024, 10:15

Marvin Gaye was one of the greatest soul singers of all hour, but his existence and career were cut tragically concise in 1984, aged just 44.

40 years on, we hold a look help at the superb man, and exactly what happened with Marvin Gaye and his father.

  1. Who was Marvin Gaye?

    Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing (Video)

    Marvin Gaye was an American singer, songwriter and producer.

    He was one of the main singers that created the Motown sound of the 1960s, first as a session performer and later as a solo artist. His Motown hits included 'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)' and 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine', and duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Diana Ross and Tammi Terrell.

    In the 1970s, he recorded the albums What's Going On and Let's Obtain It On, becoming one of the first artists from Motown (along with Stevie Wonder) to break away from the company on his own merit.

    After a period in Europe as a tax exile in the early 1980s, he made a successful comeback with the 1982 Grammy Award-winning hit 'Sexual Healing' and its album Midnight Lo