The Fatal Relationship Between Marvin Gaye and his Disturbed Father
Updated: Nov 14
Marvin Gaye's illustrious career spanned over 25 years, from his early days in Motown to his transformation into a socially-conscious funk artist. His music captivated audiences worldwide and left an indelible mark on the industry.
Despite his profound impact on music, Gaye's life was plagued by a tumultuous relationship with his father, ultimately leading to his tragic demise.
"I brought you into this world, I can take you out." - Marvin Gaye Sr.
Marvin Gaye Sr. emerged from a background of poverty and violence, finding solace in the Pentecostal church where he became a revered minister. However, his troubled past continued to haunt him, overshadowing his newfound faith.
Marvin Jr., born in 1939, initially enjoyed a stable relationship with his father, who played a pivotal role in nurturing his musical talents. Yet, behind closed doors, Marvin Sr. was a strict disciplinarian, subjecting his children to harsh punishments for minor transgressions and enforcing rigorous religious practices.
Despite Marvin Gaye's musical prowess and success, the strained relationship with his father cast a dark shadow over his life, culminating in a tragic end.
Marvin Sr.’s preaching career took a nosedive in the early 1950’s, and he began a slow descent into alcoholism which only exacerbated the abuse he handed out to his family.
Most accounts depict Gaye as a strict and at times domineering father to his four children. He enforced an extended Sabbath every Saturday, opposing the Christian tradition of Sunday worship, arguing that it violated God's commandment to observe the "Lord's Day" on Saturday.
Gaye's daughter Jeanne described him as someone who adhered to the proverb "spare the rod, spoil the child," indicating his strict disciplinary approach. He often questioned his children on Biblical passages, resorting to physical punishment if their answers were deemed incorrect. Additionally, all four of Gaye's children struggled with bedwetting, which unfortunately resulted in further corporal punishment.
Gaye subjected Marvin Jr. to the brunt of his most severe punishments. From the tender age of seven until his teenage years, Marvin's life was marred by what his sister, Jeanne, described as "brutal whippings" for even minor transgressions, such as misplacing a hairbrush or arriving home from school a minute late. Marvin himself recalled, "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." Describing his father's demeanour, Marvin likened living with him to living under the rule of a tyrant, cruel and capricious. Marvin attributed his resilience to the unwavering support and encouragement he received from his mother, acknowledging that without her comforting presence and praise for his singing talent, he might have succumbed to the despair that plagued many troubled children.
During this period, Gaye stumbled upon the revelation that his father engaged in cross-dressing, a fact that was thinly veiled in their neighbourhood. This discovery subjected him and his siblings to ridicule and bullying from other children in the area.
In 1979, Alberta Gaye conveyed to David Ritz that her husband harboured intense animosity towards Marvin.
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 love Marvin, and what's worse, he didn't want me to love Marvin either. Marvin wasn't very old before he understood that.
After achieving musical success at Motown, Marvin purchased a house in Washington, D.C., relocating his parents from the projects to this new residence on Fifteenth and Varnum. Alberta ceased working to enjoy the comfort of homeownership. Despite the spaciousness of the new house, Marvin's visits were infrequent due to his strained relationship with his father.
In 1968, Marvin attempted reconciliation by gifting his father a Cadillac, but the gesture did not evoke a significant response. Four years later, Marvin reunited with his parents in Washington, D.C., during Marvin Gaye Day, feeling a sense of pride in making his father proud.
In 1974, Gaye appeared on his son's Midnight Special episode in female attire. A year earlier, Marvin had purchased a neo-Tudor house in Los Angeles for his parents. By this time, Gaye's struggles with alcoholism had rendered him incapable of continuing his ministry, leading to increasing discord in his marriage to Alberta.
By the early 1980s, Marvin's marriage to Alberta had deteriorated further. According to Alberta in 1984, the couple had not shared a bed in nearly a decade, leading them to sleep in separate bedrooms.
On Christmas Day of 1984 Marvin, heavily addicted to cocaine, gave his father an unregistered .38 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol for protection against perceived threats. On March 31, 1984, an argument erupted between Marvin Sr. and Alberta over a missing insurance document. Marvin intervened, commanding his father to leave his mother alone. While no physical altercation occurred that night, tensions remained high.
Around 12:30 p.m. on April 1, 1984, Marvin Sr. resumed arguing with Alberta about the missing document. Marvin Jr., dressed in his maroon robe, intervened, warning his father not to enter his room. When Marvin Sr. entered anyway, a confrontation ensued. Marvin Jr. reportedly struck his father before Alberta separated them.
Minutes later, Marvin Sr. returned to his son's bedroom with the .38 pistol and shot him twice. The first bullet struck Marvin Jr.'s vital organs, including his heart, while the second hit his shoulder at point-blank range. Marvin Sr. then hid the gun in his bedroom pillow and waited for the police on the front porch. Marvin Jr. was pronounced dead upon arrival at California Hospital Medical Center.
In his initial police interview, Marvin Sr. claimed self-defence, stating he feared for his safety. Despite his claim of self-defence he was charged with first-degree murder.
Marvin’s brother, Frankie, who lived next door, held his brother as he died. Frankie wrote in his memoir that Marvin’s last words were, “I got what I wanted… I couldn’t do it myself, so I made him do it.” An ambulance rushed Marvin to California hospital where they pronounced him dead.
Gaye Sr. was initially held on a $100,000 bail upon his confinement to the Los Angeles County Jail. The bail amount was later reduced to $30,000, and Alberta, Gaye's estranged wife, secured his release through a bondsman. In May, doctors examining Gay discovered a benign brain tumor the size of a walnut. This discovery became a focal point during preliminary hearings, as Gaye's defence argued that the tumour may have influenced his actions. However, the judge deemed Gaye competent to stand trial.
“Let’s say that I didn’t dislike him.” - Marvin Sr discusses his son.
Following Marvin's autopsy, which revealed traces of cocaine and PCP in his system, and the presentation of photos showing Gaye's injuries sustained during his altercation with his son, Judge Gordon Ringer permitted Gaye to enter a plea bargain. On September 20, 1984, Gaye pleaded no contest to a charge of voluntary manslaughter.
After the plea bargain, Gaye received a suspended six-year sentence and five years of probation for the shooting incident. Additionally, he was permanently barred from possessing firearms or consuming alcohol. Amidst these legal proceedings, Alberta Gaye initiated divorce proceedings after nearly five decades of marriage.
Gaye briefly resided at the Gramercy Place home before health concerns necessitated a move to a nursing facility, initially in Inglewood around 1986. In his final years, he relocated to a nursing home in Culver City, California, where he succumbed to pneumonia on October 10, 1998, just nine days after his 84th birthday.