motor city drum ensemble

"...Gaye's new-found fame pushed him even deeper into drug addiction and paranoia as he had had a premonition that someone was plotting to kill him. Throughout his tour, he had a bevy of bodyguards surrounding him to keep him safe and often wore a bullet-proof vest. By the time the tour ended, he attempted to isolate himself by moving into his parents' house. He threatened to commit suicide several times after numerous bitter arguments with his father, Marvin, Sr. On April 1, 1984, one day before his forty-fifth birthday, Gaye's father shot and killed him after an argument that had started after Marvin's parents argued over bills. Some of Gaye's relatives claimed that he had purposely pushed his father to the edge so that he could have Marvin, Sr., kill him instead of having to commit suicide. Gaye left behind his three children, Marvin III, Nona and Christian. Marvin, Sr. later was sentenced to six years of probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Charges of first-degree murder were dropped after doctors discovered he had a tumor. Later serving his final years in a retirement home, he died of pneumonia in 1998..."

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