Birth & Death:

Birth name: Marvin Gay, Jr. (He added an 'e' onto his last name after becoming a singer.)
Born: April 2, 1939 in Washington, DC.
Died: April 1, 1984 in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life:

Marvin Gaye was born and raised in Washington, DC, the son of Alberta Gay, a domestic worker and schoolteacher, and Marvin Gay, Sr., a minister. He was the second-oldest of four children by the couple.

Marvin Jr. developed a love for music at an early age and would occasionally sing for his father in church. By the time he started high school, Marvin had also learned to play musical instruments. While in high school he began singing and playing more secular music, something that had been forbidden within in household by his strict, domineering father. While still a teen, he began performing in local bands.

Early Career:

After singing with a number of regional groups, including the Marquees and the Moonglows, Marvin became a solo artist. While in Detroit, he happened to meet Tamla/Motown Records head Berry Gordy at the label's annual Christmas party and impressed Gordy by singing and playing piano at the gathering. During his early days with Motown, he was assigned work as a studio session drummer, and was mentored by Smokey Robinson and others. He was the drummer on many early Motown hits, including the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman," Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street," and Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips."

With Tammi:

Marvin's first few singles for Motown were flops, partially because his early material was more jazz and blues influenced. The late 1962 R&B song "Hitch Hike" was his first Top 40 single, and was followed by a string of hits in the mid-1960s by Marvin as a soloist and with frequent duet partner Tammi Terrell. The duo had a series a hits, including "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By." In 1967, Tami collapsed into Marvin's arms onstage due to illness; she was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in 1970.

Later Career:

Tammi's death, along with other issues of the day, including the Vietnam War, inspired Marvin to write and record the socially conscious album What's Going On. The album, which was released in May 1971, was a huge critical and commercial success. In 1972, he moved from Detroit to Los Angeles, but continued recording for Motown. Among his later '70s hits were the songs 'Let's Get it On," "I Want You" and "Got to Give It Up. Pt. 1." He left Motown over creative differences and signed with CBS Records in 1982. During the early 1980s, he struggled with depression and drug abuse.

Death:

Marvin had been staying at his parents' house in Los Angeles, trying to stay away from drug dealers and hangers-on when he got into a series of arguments with his father. The situation came to a head on April 1, 1984, when Marvin Sr. was arguing with his wife when Marvin Jr. interfered. The father shot and killed his son with a gun that Marvin Jr. had previously given his father as a present. It was the day before Marvin Jr.'s 45th birthday. Eventually, Marvin Sr. pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to five years' probation.

Personal:

Marvin Gaye married Janis Hunter in 1977, when she was still in her early 20s and he was in his late 30s. The marriage lasted less than a year, but they weren't legally divorced until February, 1981.
Marvin was also married to Berry Gordy's sister, Anna Gordy, from January 1964 to March 1977.
He had two sons and a daughter. His first child, Marvin III, born in 1965 to Denise Gordy, the niece of his first wife. The other two children are Nona Gaye, born in 1974 and Frankie Gaye, born in 1975. Their mother is Marvin's second wife, Janis Hunter Gaye.

Selected Discography:

2005: Marvin Gaye at the Copa (live)
1997: Vulnerable.
1985: Romantically Yours
1985: Dream of a Lifetime
1982: Midnight Love
1981: In Our Lifetime
1978: Here, My Dear
1977: Live at the London Palladium
1976: I Want You
1974: Marvin Gaye Live!
1973: Let's Get It On
1973: Diana & Marvin (with Diana Ross)
1972: Trouble Man
1971: What's Going On
1970: That's the Way Love Is
1969: MPG
1968: You're All I Need (with Tammi Terrell)
1968: I Heard It Through the Grapevine
1967: United (with Tammi Terrell)
1966: Moods of Marvin Gaye
1965: How Sweet it is to Be Loved By You

Awards & Honors:

1999: Inducted into Grammy Awards Hall of Fame
1987: Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1983: Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, for "Sexual Healing."
1983: Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, for "Sexual Healing (Instrumental Version)."