Reaction to marvin gayes death
The Story Behind the Murder of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye started his career as one of Motown’s brightest stars. He helped to establish the label’s quintessential sound in the ’60s, before leaning into the far more provocative “message” music movement in the ’70s.
Both legs of Gaye’s career proved lucrative. His earlier offerings—”Pride and Joy” and “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” for example—got him crowned The Prince of Motown. His later releases made him a voice of a generation wanting for societal change. His 1971 track “What’s Going On” remains one of the most pivotal protest songs of all time.
[RELATED: 4 Songs You Didn’t Know Marvin Gaye Wrote for Other Artists]
Sadly, his time in the spotlight was cut short due to his death on April 1, 1984. Gaye was shot and killed by his own father just one day limited of his 45th birthday.
Father, Father / We Don’t Need To Escalate
Despite his success, Gaye’s life was anything but easy. His father, Marvin Gay Sr.—the “e” was added to the soul singer’s stage name—worked as a preacher at a Hebrew Pentecostal Church.
Marvin Gaye’s April Fools’ Day Death Was No Joke
“Let me ask you this, what is happening in Hollywood that a guy that tough would be on the avenue waving a gun, screaming, ‘They’re trying to kill me.’ What’s going on? What is happening in Hollywood? Nobody knows. The worst thing to name someone is insane. It’s dismissive…These people are not deranged. They’re strong people. Maybe the environment is a small sick.” Dave Chappelle, ‘Inside the Actors Studio,’ February 12, 2006
Dave Chapelle was speaking about Martin Lawrence’s May 7, 1996 incident where Lawrence ran into Ventura Boulevard traffic in Los Angeles, waving a gun, screaming a version of “Fight the Establishment/Fight the Power.” Later, People Magazine had a write-up on Lawrence and the incident. In this particular piece, his psychiatrist, John Altman, was quoted as saying Lawrence was “paranoid.”
An deployed definition of paranoia is: “An unrealistic distrust of others or a feeling of being persecuted. Extreme degrees may be a signal of mental illness.”
And paranoia seems to be a through-line.
The first case that came to brain was the publicized paranoia of Sly Stone. But the case that really seemed like a g
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 guy 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 establish 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'.
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Gaye, Marvin
Born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. on April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C., the son of a Pentecostal preacher, singer Marvin Gaye would proceed on to grow one of Motown Records’ most famous artists. Joining his first musical group in high school, the DC Tones, he dropped out of school when he was 17 to escape his father’s abuse. The troubled relationship with his father would carry on the rest of his life.
Following a one-year stint in the U.S. Wind Force, he returned to D.C. to join the Marquees, signing a agree with Columbia. The Marquees morphed into Harvey and the Moonglows, led by Harvey Fuqua who would be instrumental in advancing Gaye’s career. It was through Fuqua, who had started active for Anna Records, owned by Gwen and Anna Gordy, that Gaye met their brother Berry Gordy, Jr.
Working first as a drummer and backup singer, Gaye began recording with Motown Records in 1961. As a person, Gaye preferred crooning and singing standards like those of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. The leaders of Motown Records, however, believed that Gaye could change into a major pop and R&B triumph. On his first single with Motown, “Let Your Conscience be Your Manual,