On April 1, 1984, Marvin Gaye Sr. shot and killed his son after a physical altercation; the father claimed he acted in self-defense but would later be convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Born in 1939, in Washington, D.C., Marvin Gaye sang in his father's church and in the Moonglows before signing with Motown. He recorded songs by Smokey Robinson before becoming his own producer on the protest album What's Going On (1971). Gaye's later records developed his production style and yielded several hits, including "Let's Get It On," "Sexual Healing" and "I Heard it Through the Grapevine."

In 1972 Marvin released the song "Let's Get It On", and it went on to become a number 1 hit on the Billboard charts. Gaye's unexpected death at his family home shocked the world of music. He received many musical awards posthumously and remained one of the most influential figures in the history of R&B and soul music.

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