On this day in 1984, Marvin Gaye was shot by his father just one day shy of his 45th birthday

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An unidentified Los Angeles Police homicide detective leads handcuffed Marvin Gay Sr. into LAPD central headquarters at Parker Center, Los Angeles, Calif., on April 1, 1984. Gay Sr. was taken into custody in connection with the shooting death of his son, singer Marvin Gaye Jr., which occured while Gaye Jr. was visiting his parents' home. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)
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On April 1, 1984, Marvin Gaye, the beloved icon of Motown, was shot by his father, Rev. Marvin Gay Sr., just one day shy of his 45th birthday.

Police and Los Angeles County Coroners Officials remove the body of singer Marvin Gaye from a Los Angeles hospital after he was pronounced dead after being shot at his parents home, Sunday, April 1, 1984, Los Angeles, Calif. Gayes father, Marvin Gaye, Sr., is being questioned in connection with the shooting. The men in the photo are unidentified. (AP Photo/Nick UT)

Despite his prior success, including winning his first Grammy and reclaiming the charts with his hit “Sexual Healing,” Marvin Gaye returned to his parents’ Los Angeles residence in 1983. His father, Rev. Marvin Gay Sr., an ordained minister, enforced strict moral standards at home, all while harboring an alleged double life.

On the morning of April 1, a heated argument between father and son escalated into violence, tragically resulting in Marvin Gaye being shot three times in the chest by his own father.

Singer Smokey Robinson shares his memories of Marvin Gaye Jr. during funeral services for the late singer in Los Angeles, Calif., April 5, 1984. Gaye was slain by his father, Marvin Gay Sr., in his Los Angeles home, April 1, the eve of his 45th birthday. (AP Photo/Liu Heung Shing)

Marvin Gaye’s legacy as a musical genius endures through his soulful hits such as “What’s Going On,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” and “Mercy Mercy Me.”


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