After Marvin Gaye was fatally gunned down by his father, Marvin Gaye Sr., 37 years ago, on April 1, 1984, the soul music world was left in shock and wondering how is Dad could do that to his own son. The below video of Marvin and his father shows a different dynamic of their relationship, which further adds confusion as to how their relationship went from what it once, to the tragic result it ended on.
This is extremely rare footage of them together, during happier times. Marvin Sr. and Marvin Jr. weren’t always known to get along, so it was interesting to see them interacting this way. Check it out…
Seeing them in that light makes you wonder how things went from that, to the tragic ending of Marvin Sr. ultimately shooting and killing his own flesh and blood, Marvin Jr. Marvin’s sister had something to say about this though…
A few years ago, Marvin Gaye Jr.’s sister, Zeola Gaye, previously did an interview with Huffington Post, regarding their father, Marvin Sr.. Here’s what was reported:
checkout my shirt. #mybrothermarvin 😉 pic.twitter.com/TtPpM5MBz7
— Zeola Gaye (@ZeolaGaye) April 16, 2013
She said that even though her father fired the shot that ended her brother’s life, she has forgiven him.
“I had to. Because you know what? The bottom line is he was my father. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him,” she told host Nancy Redd. “So I felt that, what he did, like I said, not condoning it in any form or fashion, that is something he would have to answer to with God.”
Gaye said she was one of the few family members that lent her father a helping hand after Marvin died. Gaye Sr., who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, had developed a benign tumor and later caught pneumonia before he died.
“He needed some help. I had to help him. And I was the only one who actually did that, other than my niece Angie,” she said. “We had to take care of him and we had to take care of our mom and a lot fell on us. And I wish that he had not killed Marvin but it happened.”
April 1, 1984 is a day that all soul music lovers will always remember. Ever since Marvin Gaye made his grand exit from this earth, music has never been what it “used to be.”
Do you remember where you were when you found out Marvin Gaye had passed away?
