The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders (18 page)

Marvin was still in deep depression and threatened on several occasions to take his own life, absolute torture to Alberta’s ears. She would beg her son not to talk of such drastic actions;
Gay Sr on the other hand simply kept his feelings to himself. The bitter clashes and resentments continued, during which the 70 year old and the 44 year old would often resort to violence to
resolve their issues, leaving Alberta to dole out the tender loving care and bandages when necessary.

Escalating rows were just part of daily life, yet those around the house could see that there would come a point when everything would come to a head, although they could not have guesed what
the end result would be.

The day of reckoning arrived on 1 April 1984, ironically April Fool’s Day, the day before Marvin’s 45th birthday. He and his mother were talking in his bedroom when his father yelled
for his mother to come and find some lost paperwork. Of course this irritated Marvin and he told the old man that if he wished to speak to his mother he ought to at least come upstairs and do so in
the same room. His father stormed upstairs to confront his son, barging into his bedroom to have his say. Marvin, annoyed at the intrusion, pushed him back into the hallway and a full-scale
argument erupted, escalating into a fist fight. As the two men punched each other, Alberta fled the room, listening from downstairs to the all-too-familiar sounds of the two main men in her life
locked in hand-to-hand combat. When the noises finally stopped, it was Gay Sr who appeared downstairs, heading for another room as if to calm down.

On his return he was carrying a gun, a .38 calibre pistol, and went back upstairs heading purposefully towards his son’s bedroom. Before Marvin could talk him round the old man calmly shot
him in the right side of the chest, the bullet perforating his right lung, heart, diaphragm, liver, stomach and kidney before coming to rest against his left flank. The shot caused terrible
injuries and forced his son to the floor, blood oozing out of him. Even the most angry parent would have been snapped out of their anger at this point, seeing their son lying in a growing pool of
blood, but not Marvin’s father – he took a few steps closer and fired another shot at point-blank range. Without any emotion or apparent concern for his son, the old man simply turned
and left the room, leaving Alberta distraught as she tried to comfort her dying son. Unable to comprehend the horror of what had just unfolded, Alberta cradled her son, hoping that he would somehow
come round. When she realised that all hope was fading she rushed to Frankie’s apartment to raise the alarm. With the ambulance summoned Alberta returned to sit with her beloved son, still
praying that there was some hope for his survival. When the paramedics arrived they were met with a scene of panic and confusion with people trying to direct them to the gunshot victim – but
they had been warned that there could still be a risk from the gunman and were reticent to move ahead until they were sure there wasn’t any further danger. They knew that the gunman was
Marvin’s father and were therefore very surprised to find the man sitting on the front porch, calm as you like.

It was Alberta who gave the all clear to the paramedics when she found the gun and threw it outside. When they entered Marvin’s bedroom the medics found him lying in his brother’s
arms, bleeding profusely. He was rushed to hospital, but having sustained massive injuries, was pronounced dead at a little after 1.00 p.m., just hours away from his 45th birthday. Marvin Gay Sr
was arrested by the LAPD.

The police arrived marginally earlier than the media, immediately arresting Gay Sr for the murder of his son. He was quietly taken away for questioning. The popular star enjoyed a resurgence in
his music as it suddenly seemed that every radio station wanted to play Marvin Gaye music again. The papers spoke of his tortured life, the great musical talent and the darker side of a family
whose anger finally resulted in death. Gay Sr did not enjoy good press, and there were many who were prepared to comment on the harsh life endured by the Gay siblings. Yet this was a strange crime,
with the man responsible for bringing one of soul’s best-loved singers into the world being his killer. People could only speculate as to why.

Gay Sr was still in custody in the Los Angeles County men’s prison when the funeral of his son took place. The autopsy on Marvin concluded that his death was caused by massive trauma
occurring as a result of two gunshot wounds, but it also revealed the drug use which affected Marvin’s life. Analysis of his system showed that he had indulged in both cocaine and angel dust
in the hours before his murder – could this have contributed to the events which resulted in his death? Only those at the house and Gay Sr could shed light on what had really happened, and
the police were keen to find out more.

Over 10,000 fans visited Marvin’s house to pay homage to the musical soul-man who had entertained them over the decades. They queued for hours to take their turn and get a last glimpse of
him in his open casket. He was dressed in one of the outfits he had worn on his last tour, a gold and white military style suit with an ermine wrap around his shoulders. His family, of course, were
at the funeral, his mother taking time to kiss Marvin’s cheek and say a last goodbye. Both of his ex-wives and their children were there also, despite the often violent lives they led with
him. The congregation was led by the Chief Apostle of the House of God, Gay Sr’s old church. Stevie Wonder sang at the distressing church service, and Smokey Robinson spoke, as did Dick
Gregory. After the service, his body was cremated and his family scattered his ashes at sea.

Marvin Gay Sr was charged with the murder of his son, to which he pleaded not guilty, claiming that he had acted in self-defence after his son had attacked him. He apologized, saying, “If
I could bring him back I would. I was afraid of him. I thought I was going to get hurt. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m really sorry for everything that happened.” He
then claimed to have fired the gun without realizing that it was loaded. While awaiting trial Marvin Sr was given a full medical examination during which it was discovered that he had a number of
bruises on his body; doctors also found a walnut-sized tumour in his pituitary gland at the base of his brain. There was no way of knowing how long it had been there, or if it affected his
behaviour. He underwent surgery to have this removed and was reassessed, whereupon he was deemed competent to stand trial.

Gay Sr’s legal team entered into a plea bargain with the prosecution – in exchange for his pleading guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter with a gun, the prosecution
would not pursue a full-blown murder charge. As Gay Sr was now 70 years of age, it appeared that no one had the heart to go for a life sentence, except those who loved Marvin’s music and who
believed the stories of Gay Sr’s tyrannical parenting. The prosecution were also mindful of the bruises Gay Sr had upon his body and could not escape the fact that Marvin had endured a
significant amount of drug intake in the run-up to the incident. The manslaughter with a gun charge was deemed by all concerned to be a satisfactory compromise. When the time came for Gay Sr to
face the court on 2 October 1984, he entered a plea of no contest to the charge and the Judge delivered a sentence of five years probation. The Judge summed up with: “This is one of those
terribly tragic cases in which a young life was snuffed out. But under the circumstances it seems to be agreed by everybody, including the very able and experienced investigating officers, that in
this case, the young man who died tragically provoked the incident.” Turning his attention back to Gay Sr, in addition to his sentence, he banned the elderly man from drinking or owning a
gun.

In an interview from prison, while being held for his son’s murder, Marvin Sr explained the killing to a reporter. “I pulled the trigger,” he said. “The first one
didn’t seem to bother him. He put his hand up to his face, like he’d been hit with a pellet. Then I fired again. I was backing towards my room. I was going to go in there and lock the
door. This time I heard him say ‘Oh’ and I saw him going down. I do know that I did fire the gun. I was just trying to keep him back off me. I want the world to know it wasn’t
presumptuous on my part.” After his convoluted and wandering explanation as to how he killed his son, Gay Sr was asked a final question, as loaded as the gun which he had used. Did he love
his son, to which he replied, “Let’s say that I didn’t dislike him.”

Not everyone seemed as convinced as the courts that Gay Sr acted in self-defence. He had not been stopped from going downstairs to collect the gun and he fired a second shot, even after the
first one had hit his son. One can only assume therefore that the second shot was intended to kill him. These and other arguments have all been discussed through the media over the years since his
death, but justice through the courts had already been delivered.

The consensus seemed to be that as Marvin was so depressed and unstable after a lifetime of violence, abuse, failed relationships, financial instability and his terrible drug addiction, he was
ready to give up the fight for life. He appears to have backed his father into a corner, belittling the proud old man, not adhering to his strict values and morals and returning to his home when he
was clearly not welcome, at least to his father. Ironically it was Marvin himself who provided his father with the gun which eventually ended his life. Only a few months before his death he gave
his father the unregistered .38 calibre Smith & Wesson, literally handing him the loaded gun and waiting for him to use it. Some did say at the time that he wanted to end his life, but just
didn’t have the guts to carry it out himself.

Alberta divorced her husband of 49 years and moved in with her daughter, but her luck was soon to run out – only three years later she died of bone cancer. Marvin’s brother, Frankie
Gaye – he also added a showbiz “e” – died in 2001 after suffering a heart attack. During his recording career he even covered some of the songs which Marvin had originally
recorded. He wrote a book about his brother titled
Marvin Gaye
,
My Brother
, but he sadly died before it was published. Gay Sr lived until 1998 when he died in the Inglewood Retirement
Home, California, aged 84.

Throughout his lifetime Marvin wrote and recorded more than 200 songs, 66 of them Billboard hits, including “Sexual Healing” which was nominated for “Best R&B Song”
at the 1984 Grammy Awards. In 1987 Marvin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Later, in 1991, Marvin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – proof that despite his
troubled private life, his unique singing abilities, writing skills and versatility throughout his three decades of entertaining, the public really did love and appreciate his talents. He produced
brilliant music and he will be forever remembered as one of the greats.

Whether justice was fairly dispensed is a matter of great debate – to take a life which you helped create is a poor defence, yet in this instance no one wanted to examine the details of
what really happened. In musical terms, Marvin Gaye has earned his place in the history books; in celebrity murder terms, his father secured his position too.

During late Saturday night and early Sunday morning between 4 and 5 August 1962, most of Hollywood was either asleep or making plans to get there. Little were they to know that
by the time a new day had dawned, the end of an era would have come about while they had slept. A woman who was adored over the world for her wit, talent and especially her beauty – a true
goddess – would be pronounced dead. The icon, Marilyn Monroe – formerly Norma Jean Baker – had died at the age of 36, leaving the world to mourn her and the police to try and
unravel the mystery of her death.

On the day of her death Marilyn had received a package from her (at that time) suspected lover Robert Kennedy, the then Attorney General. It contained a soft toy – a furry tiger –
and possibly an accompanying note, which seemed to have upset her. She sat on a lounger beside her outdoor swimming pool on that hot early August day and pondered about the message she had just
received. She had also learned that Robert would not be attending a get-together at their mutual friends’ – Pat (née Kennedy), sister of the President, and Peter Lawford.

It was becoming clear to Marilyn that Robert was making attempts to stop their relationship, possibly at his wife Ethel’s request. He had not returned her calls that week and some
considered that the gift of the toy tiger could have been a message that it was over. Obviously Marilyn was upset about being ditched by him, and had seemingly threatened to go public on the Monday
and hold a press conference if Robert did not contact her to straighten matters out.

She had spent the day contacting her close circle of friends and confidants. She had spoken with a good friend of hers, Jeanne Carmen, to try and arrange a night out with her, but Jeanne had
already made plans as it was her birthday. The last time Marilyn spoke with Jeanne was around 10 p.m. Another person who she now relied on quite heavily was her psychiatrist, Dr Greenson; she
telephoned him early in the day and he came out to visit her at some point during the afternoon. This was not unusual, as he saw her most days. He arrived at her house at around 6.30 p.m. and
recalled that she was rather groggy and seemed somewhat depressed. She had wanted to take a walk on the pier at Santa Monica, and the doctor recommended that she have plenty of fluids before going
out. He suggested to her housekeeper Eunice Murray that it might be advisable that she stay the night with Marilyn, which Eunice had done on many previous occasions. The doctor bade them farewell
after around a 45-minute stay, as he was on his way to a dinner appointment. He was to hear from Marilyn once more before her death; she called him at around 7.40, when he was preparing to get
ready for his night out. He was pleased to hear that Marilyn was sounding much brighter and less slurred. He suggested that she should get a good night’s sleep and that he would see her the
following day. The next time he was to see Marilyn, she would be dead, but what happened between his last telephone conversation with her and finding her dead is very hazy to say the least.