Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father at his home in Los Angeles on April 1, 1984, one day before what would have been his 45th birthday.

Gaye and his siblings would often be told to observe an extended Sabbath, which started every Saturday, and to recite Biblical passages he taught them, striking them if they answered the passages wrong.

Following his signing to Motown's Tamla label, Gaye having been inspired by such singers like Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra to perform standards, figuring the move would make him a crossover success, rather than perform the usual R & B performed on Motown, bringing him to conflict with the label.

" Gaye would tell an interviewer in 1983 that during his exile that he was a " manic depressive, I was at my lowest ebb.

Later on as his Motown career developed, Gaye would seek inspiration in fellow label mates such as David Ruffin of The Temptations and Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops as their grittier voices led to Gaye and his producer seeking a similar sound in recordings such as " I Heard It Through the Grapevine " and " That's the Way Love Is ".

Between 1962 and 1966, Robinson would also be one of the in-demand songwriters and producers for Motown, penning several hit singles such as " The One Who Really Loves You ", " You Beat Me to the Punch " and " My Guy " for Mary Wells, " The Way You Do The Things You Do ", " My Girl ", " Since I Lost My Baby " and " Get Ready " for The Temptations, " When I'm Gone " and " Operator " for Brenda Holloway, " Don't Mess With Bill ", " The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game " and " My Baby Must Be a Magician " for The Marvelettes and " I'll Be Doggone " and " Ain't That Peculiar " for Marvin Gaye.

The TR-808 would later be further popularized in 1982, with the release of the mainstream American hits " Sexual Healing " by Marvin Gaye and " Planet Rock " by Afrika Bambaataa.

In late 1968, " Grapevine " would become an even bigger hit for Marvin Gaye, whose version, recorded before Knight's but released a year afterwards at Whitfield's insistence, became a # 1 pop hit for seven weeks.

Fuqua would later be credited for bringing Marvin Gaye to the label, which signed Gaye in 1960.

Wells and Robinson also recorded a duet titled " I Want You ' Round ", which would be re-recorded by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston.

Despite rumors, she never dated fellow Motown singer Marvin Gaye, who would go on to have successful duet partnerships with Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross after Wells left Motown.

Among the only Motown acts to write and compose their own recordings, the group would also write and compose hits for the likes of Mary Wells, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye with much success.

They would write and produce scores of songs for Motown artists, including 25 Number 1 hit singles, including "( Love Is Like a ) Heat Wave " for Martha and the Vandellas and " How Sweet It Is ( To Be Loved by You )" for Marvin Gaye.

Growing up, Naté enjoyed a wide variety of music ; she enjoyed listening to artists such as Marvin Gaye and Boy George, whom Naté would later say helped her become more open to being more experimental with her style and production of music.

Gaye would later say the move was " another moneymaking scheme on BG's part ".

Gaye would later call Terrell " sweet " and " misunderstood " and stated that Terrell was his " perfect partner ".

According to Terrell's fiancé, Dr. Garrett, who knew Gaye, Terrell's mother allowed just Gaye at the funeral but told him that Terrell's other Motown colleagues would not be allowed in.

Gaye had also contended that he felt Motown was taking advantage of Terrell's illness and refused to promote the Easy album despite Motown telling him it would cover Terrell's health expenses.

The label was pleased with the success, although Gaye, depressed because of issues such as the illness of singing partner Tammi Terrell ( which would kill her less than a year later ), was quoted as saying that his success " didn't seem real " and that he " didn't deserve it ".

Motown struggled to get Gaye in the studio as Gaye focused on work on an album ( which would later be released as Here, My Dear, dedicated to Gaye's troubled first marriage ).

The film also featured such acts as The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Gerry & the Pacemakers, James Brown, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Lesley Gore, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and The Beach Boys ( whose sequence was later cut from the film, due to contract issues ).

During their early years, David Ruffin, who later found fame as lead singer of The Temptations, noted that he and Gaye spent time stockpiling records at Anna's building.

While Gaye wasn't required to later attend Gordy's artist development course, he took advice on performing with his eyes open rather closed after Maxine Powell told him that it " looked like was sleeping when was performing.

After a period of depression, Gaye sought out a position in the professional football team, the Detroit Lions where he later befriended Mel Farr and Lem Barney.

Gaye later played the song to Berry Gordy, who refused to release it due mainly to its jazz-oriented sound, which Gordy labeled " outdated ".

The concert was later recorded for the live album, Marvin Gaye Live !.

It was also later determined that the revolver used in the murder was the same revolver Gaye had given to his father during the Christmas holidays.

Friends and some of Gaye's family members later contended that the gun was an act of " premeditated suicide " by Gaye, who had suffered from depression in the months leading up to his death.

Their relationship consummated a year later and resulted in the births of two children, Nona Marvisa and Frankie Christian Gaye, in 1974 and 1975 respectively.

In 1979, Gaye attempted suicide a second time by ingesting an ounce of cocaine while in Hawaii, later stating, " I just wanted to be alone and blow my brains on high-octane toot.

A year later, Gaye's mother founded the Marvin P. Gaye Jr. Memorial Foundation in dedication to her son to help those suffering from drug abuse and alcoholism ; however she died a day before the memorial was set to open in 1987.

Three years later, the 5200 block of Foote Street NE in Deanwood, Washington, DC, was renamed Marvin Gaye Way.

Other artists such as Maxwell, Nas and Common adapted his early 1970s fashion style of wearing kufis and beanie skull caps and jean outfits which was also later appropriated by Eddie Murphy in his role as James " Thunder " Early in Dreamgirls, while Michael Jackson, who admitted Gaye was an influence on his music and once described his music as " ridiculous " in a good way, in 2001, allegedly was also influenced by Gaye's fashion style in the 1980s adapting the military-styled suits Gaye wore on his final concert tour.

A documentary about Gaye – What's Going On: The Marvin Gaye Story – was a UK / PBS co-production, directed by Jeremy Marre and was first broadcast in 2006 ; two years later, the special re-aired with a different production and newer interviews after it was re-broadcast as an American Masters special.

" And while he noted that ballads and jazz was " his basic soul ", he stated Gaye " had the ability to take a roughhouse, rock and roll, blues, R & B, any kind of song and make it his own ", later citing that Gaye was the most versatile vocalist he ever worked with.

Gaye provided this same format on his later albums such as Let's Get It On, I Want You, Here, My Dear and In Our Lifetime.

Kravitz's other musical influences at the time included Fela Kuti, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye and Miles Davis ; John Lennon and Bob Marley proved later to be influential as well.

Gladys Knight & the Pips joined the Motown roster in 1966, and, although regarded as a second-string act, scored several hit singles, including " I Heard It Through the Grapevine ", ( recorded later by Marvin Gaye ), " Friendship Train " ( 1969 ), " If I Were Your Woman " ( 1970 ), " I Don't Want To Do Wrong " ( 1971 ), the Grammy Award winning " Neither One of Us ( Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye )" ( 1972 ), and " Daddy Could Swear ( I Declare )" ( 1973 ).

Several tracks which later became critical and commercial favorites were initially rejected by Gordy ; the two most notable being the Marvin Gaye songs, " I Heard It Through the Grapevine " and " What's Going On ".

It was updated in early 1991 to mourn the passing of Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, Dennis Wilson, John Lennon, Roy Orbison, Sam Cooke, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Cass Elliot, who died a few months after the original version of the song was released.

*" Sandman ", a song by Marvin Gaye

* " Anna's Song ", a 1978 song by Marvin Gaye

* " Flyin ' High ( In the Friendly Sky )", a song by Marvin Gaye

Gaye began composing around this time, co-writing the song, " Barbara ", with Palmer.

In 1959, the group signed with Chess and recorded several sides for the label, including the Fuqua-led " Twelve Months of the Year ", to which Gaye opened the song on spoken word, and the Gaye-led " Mama Loochie ".

Gaye notched his next duet success late the following year with Kim Weston, on the song, " It Takes Two ".

Gaye refused to record unless Motown released the song.

Of the Capris ' song, Gaye said " It fell from the heavens and hit me between the eyes.

" In songs such as " Pride & Joy ", Gaye used three different vocal ranges for the song, singing in his baritone range at the beginning, bringing a lighter tenor in the verses before reaching a gospel mode in the chorus.

The album became a success, however, and Gaye tried working on a follow-up but stopped work on it after Motown failed to promote the satiricial political song, " You're the Man ".

What's Going On also provided another first in Motown and R & B music: Gaye and his engineers had composed the album in a song cycle, segueing previous songs into other songs giving the album a more cohesive feel as opposed to R & B albums that traditionally included filler tracks to complete the album.

Peak among them at # 3 on the Black Singles, # 18 on the Pop Singles charts and # 22 on the UK Singles was the Holland – Dozier – Holland song " How Sweet It Is ( To Be Loved By You )", which had previously hit for Marvin Gaye in 1964.

* " Joy " ( Marvin Gaye song ), 1983

The music video for the Diana Ross song " Missing You " pays tribute to Marvin Gaye, Florence Ballard, and Paul Williams, all former Motown artists who had died.

The music video for the Diana Ross song " Missing You " pays tribute to Marvin Gaye, Florence Ballard, and Paul Williams, all former Motown artists who had died.

The song " Things I Will Not Miss " was covered by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye during recording sessions for the 1973 album Diana and Marvin.

Helped by the driving sound of Pino Palladino's fretless bass in his backing band, his first two singles, " Iron Out the Rough Spots " and a cover of " Love of the Common People ", had no success, but the third, a cover of the Marvin Gaye song " Wherever I Lay My Hat ( That's My Home )", reached No. 1 in the UK singles chart for three weeks in the summer of 1983, the first of 14 British Top 40 singles.

The film begins with The Band performing the last song of the evening, their cover version of the Marvin Gaye hit " Don't Do It ", as an encore.

His work includes Motown hits such as, among hundreds of others, " Shotgun " by Jr. Walker & the All Stars, " For Once in My Life ", " I Was Made To Love Her " by Stevie Wonder ( sometimes noted as being claimed by Carol Kaye, Ms Kaye actually claims the track on the late 60s Beach Boys version of the same song ), " Going to a Go-Go " by The Miracles, " My Girl " by The Temptations, " Dancing in the Street " by Martha and the Vandellas, " I Heard It Through the Grapevine " by Gladys Knight and the Pips, and later by Marvin Gaye, and most of the album What's Going On by Marvin Gaye, " Reach Out I'll Be There " and " Bernadette " by the Four Tops, and " You Can't Hurry Love " by The Supremes.