*Several attempts have been made over the years to recapture the life of legendary R&B/Soul singer Marvin Gaye, who was shot dead by his father in 1984 at age 44.
The latest movie attempt, which may be directed by Julien Temple, is planning to take a look at the period Gaye spent living in the seaside town of Ostend, Belgium in the early 1980s.
That was the time Motown was really hitting big with Gaye on its team. But it wasn’t all flowers and candy for the singer. The taxman was knocking on his door and drugs were an imminent factor in his life.
He eventually parted with the record company and went off to the Katy Studios in Belgium, where he recorded one of his greatest albums.
Janis Gaye, his ex-wife, was at home in Rhode Island when to her surprise, she read an article about another attempt to shoot a biopic. She says she’s “very skeptical” about it.
“There is always that inevitable anxiety of people making a movie so that you can found out why he (Marvin) was shot,” she says. “That question always comes up – ‘let’s dig into this and find out why Marvin’s father shot him’. None of us will ever know that because all the players in that horrible scene are dead.
“It’s 26 years later and no one’s life has ever been the same since Marvin was killed… it was all blown apart that day. It has been very difficult to know who to trust over the years,” she said.
Janis Gaye
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Hopefully, the people behind the project will get it together and finally make the biopic. I have heard so many rumors about that fateful day when Marvin was shot and killed by his father hopefully in the future we will find out exactly what happened.
I still miss Marvin to this very day – it was very hard for me to get over his passing, I think even more than Michael’s – Janis Gaye was a stunning young woman back when Marvin first started dating her -
She certainly didn’t age well, after all that drugging. SMH.
youre right – she didn’t age well at all – it’s like looking at a totally different person, and, she ain’t that old.
That makes 4 movies planned, none completed, or started, for that matter. The truth may never be known. Like she said in the full article, everyone involved on that day, Marvin, his mother, father & brother are all gone from this earth.
On another related topic…Love Janis for inspiring two of the greatest romantic soul albums ever. And still waiting for their daughter, Nona, to do another album herself.
Oh snap from the pic did not know she was AA! I truly hope that they get the biopic done. I want to read the book.. I saw the play was that done by another sister?