Marvin Gaye

Despite a life plagued by self-doubt and artistic frustration, Marvin Gaye remains an iconic figure in pop music, still a touchstone for audiences 20 years after his death. His early R&B hits were gritty and soulful; his mid-60s duets with artists like Mary Wells created a new genre often emulated, but never equalled. And his epochal 1971 masterpiece 'What's Going On' opened the doors to a new level of intelligence, sophistication, musical experimentation and artistic honesty which has inspired an entire generation of musicians and fans. Marvin lay the groundwork for an entire generation not only of socially conscious black artists, but future rap, jazz, world and hip-hop artists as well. His final, gloriously self-celebrating eroticism of 'Sexual Healing' paved the way for the increasingly explicit 1980s and 90s. Gaye's influence can be seen - and heard - in the work of such diverse artists as Wonder, Diana Ross and Luther Vandross to such recent cutting-edge artists as Mary Blige, Norah Jones and Nelly Furtado.
Tragically, his last years were marred by artistic frustration, drug addiction, financial troubles and rampant self-destruction - coming to a tragic end when he was murdered by his own father in 1984.