Why Marvin Gaye's Death Is More Tragic Than You Know

Publish date: 2024-05-09

Per History.com, the mother, Alberta, tried desperately to de-escalate the situation, but her efforts were fruitless. While Alberta attempted to calm her son down in his bedroom, Marvin Sr. pulled a revolver — a gift from Marvin Jr. — and shot his son three times in the chest. The Los Angeles County Coroner labeled the cause of death as "gunshot wound to the chest perforating the heart, lung and liver," according to the History website.

The artist's last minutes were fleeting: the first shots were fired at 12:38 p.m., according to David Ritz's Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye. The singer was pronounced dead at 1:01 p.m. when his body arrived at California Hospital Medical Center. Although Gay Sr. was initially charged with first degree murder after his son's death, the charges were reduced to voluntary manslaughter following his brain tumor diagnosis. He was given a suspended six-year prison sentence and probation. He died in a nursing home in 1998.

Gaye's brother, Frankie, who lived the next house over from the family, held the iconic musician in his arms during Marvin Jr.'s final minutes. Frankie later wrote (per Today I Found Out) that Gaye's final words were, "I got what I wanted .... I couldn't do it myself, so I made him do it."

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