Marvin Gaye

CTL-E-5236 · Person · musician · 1939–1984

VERIFIED evidence grade of this record

Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay on April 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C.; died April 1, 1984, in Los Angeles, California) was an American singer and songwriter who carried Motown from the singles era into the album era. The son of a Pentecostal minister, he learned to sing in church, followed Harvey Fuqua to Motown, and worked as a session drummer before his own hits began in 1962. Duets with Tammi Terrell and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968) made him a star. What's Going On (1971) — a self-produced suite on war, ecology, and Black urban life that the label first resisted releasing — made him an author, and remains a landmark of American music. “Sexual Healing” (1982) returned him to number one. He was shot and killed by his father one day before his forty-fifth birthday.

The record

• Also known as: Marvin Pentz Gay, Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.

Notes

Staged 2026-10-15 under CTL-GOV-006; Gate A clear; Gate B met (2 authoritative sources). CTL treatment: What's Going On first scored 100 (2026-09-28), re-scored 95 (2026-10-01) on William's direction to be critical with ratings; CTL Short published on YouTube 2026-10-01; subject of 26 CTL research files per the 2026-10-15 corpus gap scan. Statistic carried: 2 Grammy Awards, both for “Sexual Healing” (Columbia Encyclopedia via FactMonster, checked 2026-10-15).

Relationships

• Motown Records — recorded for
  Followed Harvey Fuqua to Motown and was signed by Berry Gordy in 1961; recorded for the label through What's Going On (1971) and beyond.

Sources

• Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Marvin Gaye” (summary) — https://www.britannica.com/summary/Marvin-Gaye (primary source)
• Columbia Encyclopedia via FactMonster, “Gaye, Marvin” — https://www.FactMonster.com/encyclopedia/arts/performing/pop-jazz-bios/-gaye-marvin-

Watch the Short

• Marvin Gaye — What's Going On (1971)

CultureTechLens Shorts on YouTube — the citable record is this page.

Record CTL-E-5236 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: VERIFIED · 2 sources (1 primary) · 1 mapped relationship · CTL research: PPL-001.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

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