An Abusive Childhood
Marvin Gaye’s lyrics, “The many happy times we’ve had/can never really outweigh the bad,” has inspired his fans for decades- but are they actually true? By the 1980s, Marvin Gaye had become one of the most accomplished recording artists in the world, with a stream of soulful hits that earned him the nickname “Prince of Motown.” He had legions of adoring fans and a bright future ahead of him, until the devastating day he was shot and killed by his own father, at the young age of only 44.
Gaye’s death had a tragic impact on the music industry, with fans and fellow artists expressing their grief over the talented singer’s murder. How could somebody kill their own child? As it turns out, Gaye and his father, Marvin Gaye Sr., had a relationship fraught with violence, abuse, and endless fights. Here’s what transpired in the Gaye family that lead to such an awful event…
Like many other musicians, Gaye had a difficult childhood, primarily due to his father’s abusive nature. Marvin Gaye Sr. was an American Pentecostal minister and disciplinarian who was physically abusive to his children, frequently quizzing them on Bible verses, and fiercely beating them if he heard the incorrect answer.
While Gaye Sr. had four children, it was Marvin who seemed to get the worst of his wrath. Gaye Jr.’s sister Jeanne recalls that her father would beat Marvin for minuscule things, such as putting his hairbrush in the wrong place, or coming home late from school. She described Gaye Jr.’s entire childhood as “an unending series of brutal whippings,” and Gaye Jr. himself supported her claims. Gaye Jr. told author David Ritz, “It wasn’t simply that my father beat me, though that was bad enough. By the time I was twelve, there wasn’t an inch on my body that hadn’t been bruised and beaten by him.”
Moving Back Home
Even after Gaye’s career took off and he became one of the biggest faces in Motown, his abusive childhood came back to haunt him. He suffered from substance abuse, severe depression, and financial issues that almost destroyed his life. In fact, he still owed the IRS over $1 million at the time of his death in 1984. After leaving the country for three years to deal with his financial and substance abuse issues, he returned home and moved back in with his parents; it was a decision he would soon regret.
The Beginning Of The End
In addition to being an abuser, Marvin Gaye Sr. was also extremely hypocritical. Despite the brutal moral standards he placed on his children, he was battling demons of his own. He was a heavy drinker, and his marriage was plagued by accusations of infidelity and physical violence. Gaye Sr.’s jealousy of his son’s success caused him to act out and grow even more resentful, and their lifelong feud came to a head in April of 1984.
On the day of Gaye Jr.’s death, his parents had been in a blowout over a lost insurance policy. His father screamed and threatened his mother. Despite his issues with his father, Gaye Jr. had a great deal of love for his mother, Alberta, and demanded that Gaye Sr. walk away and leave her alone. Sadly, this only enraged the his father, and things began to escalate.
Gaye Jr. then physically challenged his father, and Alberta shared the tragic details of what happened next. “Marvin hit him. I shouted for him to stop, but he paid no attention to me. He gave my husband some hard kicks.” It was then that Gaye Sr. grabbed the revolver, which his son had gifted him months earlier, and shot him twice.
Gaye Jr.’s brother Frankie lay with him as he was slowly dying, and shared his dark final words. The Motown legend, who had attempted suicide multiple times in the past, said, “I got what I wanted. I couldn’t do it myself, so I made him do it.”
A Bitter End
Gaye Jr.’s family and friends knew his toxic relationship with his father would one day come to a head, but not in such a violent way. As the world mourned the loss of the singer, his killer stood trial. He was sentenced to only a six-year suspended sentence, and five years of probation after tearfully telling the judge, “If I could bring him back, I would.” Alberta filed for divorce after nearly 50 years of marriage, and Gaye Sr. spent the final years of his life in a Los Angeles nursing home before dying of pneumonia in 1998.
Prince Of Soul
While family feuds are common in both Hollywood and everyday life, the murder of Marvin Gaye is one of the bleakest celebrity deaths of all time. He never truly recovered from the trauma of his abusive childhood, and it was the man meant to love him the most that took his life. His legacy has continued nearly four decades after his death, as he’s still regarded as one of the greatest soul singers of all time. He posthumously won a variety of awards, and influenced some of the greatest recording artists of today. Perhaps most importantly, he gifted the world unforgettable songs about love, joy, and loss.