Marvin Gaye ( born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. ; April 2 , 1939 – April 1 , 1984 ) was an American singer , songwriter , and record producer . He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s , first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of hits , earning him the nicknames " Prince of Motown " and " Prince of Soul " . Gaye 's Motown hits include " Ai n't That Peculiar " , " How Sweet It Is ( To Be Loved By You ) " , and " I Heard It Through the Grapevine " , and duet recordings with Mary Wells , Kim Weston , Diana Ross , and Tammi Terrell . During the 1970s , he recorded the albums '' What 's Going On '' and '' Let 's Get It On '' and became one of the first artists in Motown , along with Stevie Wonder , to break away from the reins of a production company . His later recordings influenced several contemporary R&B subgenres , such as quiet storm and neo soul . Following a period in Europe as a tax exile in the early 1980s , he released the 1982 hit " Sexual Healing " , which won him his first Grammy Awards , and its parent album '' Midnight Love '' . Gaye 's last television appearances were at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game , where he sung " The Star-Spangled Banner " , '' Motown 25 : Yesterday , Today , Forever '' and on '' Soul Train '' which was his third and final appearance . '' '' On April 1 , 1984 , Gaye 's father , Marvin Gay Sr. , fatally shot him at their house in the West Adams district of Los Angeles . Since his death , many institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with awards and other honors including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award , and inductions into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame , the Songwriters Hall of Fame , and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
fatally shot
Death of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye