Tag Archives: Janis Gaye

In a prior interview, Nona Gaye and her mom, Janis Gaye said Rick James stepped up after his friend, Marvin Gaye’s, untimely death. Nona Gaye was 9 when Marvin was killed by his father. Both she and mom credit Rick James with saving their lives, getting Jan off of drugs and treating them like ‘gold.’ Shocking, considering Rick James’ lifestyle. With Marvin leaving no will and the IRS and creditors hounding the family, Nona said Rick was the one person they could count on for money. She says he literally saved their lives.

“After my husband was killed, I slipped into heavy drugs,” says Janis. “I was very depressed. I wanted to just die like him.” She credits Rick for sending them to a clinic to get cleaned up. According to her, “Rick said your life will be better for it.” The strange thing about it was she said it was crazy because Rick was one person she used to get high with. Now he was changing their lives. By the early 90s, James’ career had stalled and only Teena Marie could deal with him and his habit. But Rick kicked it and tried to save a few others. This is proof that things aren’t always what they seem on the outside. Just when you think you know a person, they sometimes shock you. Outside of the drugs, the alcohol, and wild sex stories, this shows that Rick was still a man of character beneath it all.

Embed from Getty Images

Nona Gaye also spoke on how she always saw her Dad (Marvin Gaye) and mother, Jan, do drugs and knew they had a problem. Then, like parents, like child – she unfortunately started doing drugs too at 14 and eventually would do them with her Mom.

Through all of that, Nona was still able find success on film, rather than following the career path of her late father, Marvin Gaye (1939–84). Nona Gaye made one record in the early 1990s before vanishing into years of substance abuse. Becoming a parent herself in 1997 forced her into a healthier lifestyle, and she began earning notice for her small, but well-executed supporting roles in films such as Ali and The Gospel. She also replaced Aaliyah in the two Matrix sequels after our beloved Aaliyah sadly passed away in a plane crash.

Gaye and her younger brother grew up in New York City, Los Angeles, and Ostende, Belgium, where their father had settled for tax reasons. The marriage between her parents, which lasted from 1977 to 1981, was a troubled one, and both had substance abuse problems, but the extreme love Marvin and Jan had for one another seems to still be there even after Marvin’s passing.
Source: biography.jrank.org

If reality TV would have existed back in the day, Marvin Gaye and his then-wife, Janis Gaye, would have garnered ratings that were through the roof. Their colorful escapades -and in this case, their sexscapades- make today’s reality shows look like Sesame Street in comparison.

In case you missed it, Jan released a memoir in May 2015, titled “After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye” and a lot of the details she revealed are mind blowing! One of the things Jan disclosed was her alleged affair with R&B legends, Frankie Beverly and Teddy Pendergrass; Lawd…she told it all.

That Time Frankie Beverly Crawled Away From Her…Literally

According to Janis, Marvin loved to see her get busy with other men and/or couples in the bedroom. He was 15 years her senior and was the dominating factor within their relationship. Then along came her fling with Frankie Beverly that had both and odd beginning and ending. Marvin apparently arranged a hotel hookup between his wife and Frankie:

Via DailyMail- Noting a chemistry between Janis and Maze singer, Frankie Beverly, Gaye did everything he could to set up an illicit liaison between the two. When Beverly came for a visit, Gaye not only booked him a room at a local motel but booked the adjoining room for Janis, saying he needed her out of the house so he could focus on music.

As Janis and Beverly smoked a joint in Janis’ hotel room, well aware of the awkwardness, there was a loud bang at the door. It was Gaye, seemingly hoping to catch them in the act. Beverly crawled back to his room on his hands and knees, and Gaye found Janis alone.

Wife Explains Why She Cheated With Frankie & Teddy P.

The visual of the cool-calm-collected Frankie Beverly, crawling outta that hotel room is entertaining, I must admit. Anywho, that hookup didn’t go as apparently planned, but Janis said she began having a sexual affair with Frankie Beverly AND Teddy Pendergrass at the SAME time behind Marvin Gaye’s back! Here’s what she said:

Via NYPost: Soon after Jan and Marvin married in October 1977, he was once again telling her that he loved her but was not in love with her. Gaye — now almost 40 — complained to his 22-year-old wife about her sagging breasts and her stretch marks, explaining, “There’s a big difference between pleasure and excitement. As a man, I can’t help but seek excitement.”

“I was barely 22,” she writes, “yet was convinced that I had lost my youth forever.”

They had vicious fights, including one time when Gaye, behind the wheel with both kids in the car, began to swerve and threatened to “drive this thing off the road!” […]

In time, torn by Gaye’s cruel treatment, Jan slept with [Frankie] Beverly and also hooked up with Teddy Pendergrass, Gaye’s main musical rival.

[Jan revealed she snorted cocaine with Teddy P. and one night when they were out on a date, a jealous Marvin sat outside the restaurant they were in and stalked them. Jan believes she was sleeping with Teddy and Frankie Beverly because she was acting out of anger at Marvin.]

The Violence

Then things turned violent, according to Jan:

Via NYPost: Gaye’s jealousy turned violent. One day, high on a blend of psychedelic mushrooms and cocaine, he started to talk about Jan’s betrayals and became “enraged.”

“He took a kitchen knife and put it to my throat,” she writes. “I was petrified, paralyzed. I thought it was all over.”

Gaye told her, “I’ve loved you too much. This love is killing me. I beg you to provoke me. Provoke me right now so I can take us both out of our misery.”

It’s clear to see that Marvin Gaye had his flaws and so did his wife, Jan Gaye. They are perfect examples of children who were broken, growing up and becoming broken adults. When Marvin sang, he sang from a place that sounded much like his life – painful and passionate.

Sounds like Marvin Gaye was also a good example of what we always say here at ILOSM: Celebrities have accomplished great things, but that doesn’t make them perfect people, it simply makes them perfectly flawed human beings- just like the rest of us. Respect to Janis Gaye for letting the world have a sneak peak into their lives.

If reality TV would have existed back in the day, Marvin Gaye and his then-wife, Janis Gaye, would have garnered ratings that were through the roof. Their colorful escapades -and in this case, their sexscapades- make today’s reality shows look like Sesame Street in comparison.

In case you missed it, Jan released a memoir in May 2015, titled “After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye” and a lot of the details she revealed are mind blowing! One of the things Jan disclosed was her alleged affair with R&B legends, Frankie Beverly and Teddy Pendergrass; Lawd…she told it all.

That Time Frankie Beverly Crawled Away From Her…Literally

According to Janis, Marvin loved to see her get busy with other men and/or couples in the bedroom. He was 15 years her senior and was the dominating factor within their relationship. Then along came her fling with Frankie Beverly that had both and odd beginning and ending. Marvin apparently arranged a hotel hookup between his wife and Frankie:

Via DailyMail- Noting a chemistry between Janis and Maze singer, Frankie Beverly, Gaye did everything he could to set up an illicit liaison between the two. When Beverly came for a visit, Gaye not only booked him a room at a local motel but booked the adjoining room for Janis, saying he needed her out of the house so he could focus on music.

As Janis and Beverly smoked a joint in Janis’ hotel room, well aware of the awkwardness, there was a loud bang at the door. It was Gaye, seemingly hoping to catch them in the act. Beverly crawled back to his room on his hands and knees, and Gaye found Janis alone.

Wife Explains Why She Cheated With Frankie & Teddy P.

The visual of the cool-calm-collected Frankie Beverly, crawling outta that hotel room is entertaining, I must admit. Anywho, that hookup didn’t go as apparently planned, but Janis said she began having a sexual affair with Frankie Beverly AND Teddy Pendergrass at the SAME time behind Marvin Gaye’s back! Here’s what she said:

Via NYPost: Soon after Jan and Marvin married in October 1977, he was once again telling her that he loved her but was not in love with her. Gaye — now almost 40 — complained to his 22-year-old wife about her sagging breasts and her stretch marks, explaining, “There’s a big difference between pleasure and excitement. As a man, I can’t help but seek excitement.”

“I was barely 22,” she writes, “yet was convinced that I had lost my youth forever.”

They had vicious fights, including one time when Gaye, behind the wheel with both kids in the car, began to swerve and threatened to “drive this thing off the road!” […]

In time, torn by Gaye’s cruel treatment, Jan slept with [Frankie] Beverly and also hooked up with Teddy Pendergrass, Gaye’s main musical rival.

[Jan revealed she snorted cocaine with Teddy P. and one night when they were out on a date, a jealous Marvin sat outside the restaurant they were in and stalked them. Jan believes she was sleeping with Teddy and Frankie Beverly because she was acting out of anger at Marvin.]

The Violence

Then things turned violent, according to Jan:

Via NYPost: Gaye’s jealousy turned violent. One day, high on a blend of psychedelic mushrooms and cocaine, he started to talk about Jan’s betrayals and became “enraged.”

“He took a kitchen knife and put it to my throat,” she writes. “I was petrified, paralyzed. I thought it was all over.”

Gaye told her, “I’ve loved you too much. This love is killing me. I beg you to provoke me. Provoke me right now so I can take us both out of our misery.”

It’s clear to see that Marvin Gaye had his flaws and so did his wife, Jan Gaye. They are perfect examples of children who were broken, growing up and becoming broken adults. When Marvin sang, he sang from a place that sounded much like his life – painful and passionate.

Sounds like Marvin Gaye was also a good example of what we always say here at ILOSM: Celebrities have accomplished great things, but that doesn’t make them perfect people, it simply makes them perfectly flawed human beings- just like the rest of us. Respect to Janis Gaye for letting the world have a sneak peak into their lives.

If reality TV would have existed back in the day, Marvin Gaye and his then-wife, Janis Gaye, would have garnered ratings that were through the roof. Their colorful escapades -and in this case, their sexscapades- make today’s reality shows look like Sesame Street in comparison.

In case you missed it, Jan released a memoir in May 2015, titled “After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye” and a lot of the details she revealed are mind blowing! One of the things Jan disclosed was her alleged affair with R&B legends, Frankie Beverly and Teddy Pendergrass; Lawd…she told it all.

That Time Frankie Beverly Crawled Away From Her…Literally

According to Janis, Marvin loved to see her get busy with other men and/or couples in the bedroom. He was fifteen years her senior and was the dominating factor within their relationship. Then along came her fling with Frankie Beverly that had both and odd beginning and ending. Marvin apparently arranged a hotel hookup between his wife and Frankie:

Via DailyMail- Noting a chemistry between Janis and Maze singer, Frankie Beverly, Gaye did everything he could to set up an illicit liaison between the two. When Beverly came for a visit, Gaye not only booked him a room at a local motel but booked the adjoining room for Janis, saying he needed her out of the house so he could focus on music.

As Janis and Beverly smoked a joint in Janis’ hotel room, well aware of the awkwardness, there was a loud bang at the door. It was Gaye, seemingly hoping to catch them in the act. Beverly crawled back to his room on his hands and knees, and Gaye found Janis alone.

Wife Explains Why She Cheated With Frankie & Teddy P.

The visual of the cool-calm-collected Frankie Beverly, crawling outta that hotel room is entertaining, I must admit. Anywho, that hookup didn’t go as apparently planned, but Janis said she began having a sexual affair with Frankie Beverly AND Teddy Pendergrass at the SAME time behind Marvin Gaye’s back! Here’s what she said:

Via NYPost: Soon after Jan and Marvin married in October 1977, he was once again telling her that he loved her but was not in love with her. Gaye — now almost 40 — complained to his 22-year-old wife about her sagging breasts and her stretch marks, explaining, “There’s a big difference between pleasure and excitement. As a man, I can’t help but seek excitement.”

“I was barely 22,” she writes, “yet was convinced that I had lost my youth forever.”

They had vicious fights, including one time when Gaye, behind the wheel with both kids in the car, began to swerve and threatened to “drive this thing off the road!” […]

In time, torn by Gaye’s cruel treatment, Jan slept with [Frankie] Beverly and also hooked up with Teddy Pendergrass, Gaye’s main musical rival.

[Jan revealed she snorted cocaine with Teddy P. and one night when they were out on a date, a jealous Marvin sat outside the restaurant they were in and stalked them. Jan believes she was sleeping with Teddy and Frankie Beverly because she was acting out of anger at Marvin.]

The Violence

Then things turned violent, according to Jan:

Via NYPost: Gaye’s jealousy turned violent. One day, high on a blend of psychedelic mushrooms and cocaine, he started to talk about Jan’s betrayals and became “enraged.”

“He took a kitchen knife and put it to my throat,” she writes. “I was petrified, paralyzed. I thought it was all over.”

Gaye told her, “I’ve loved you too much. This love is killing me. I beg you to provoke me. Provoke me right now so I can take us both out of our misery.”

It’s clear to see that Marvin Gaye had his flaws and so did his wife, Jan Gaye. They are perfect examples of children who were broken, growing up and becoming broken adults. When Marvin sang, he sang from a place that sounded much like his life – painful and passionate.

Sounds like Marvin Gaye was also a good example of what we always say here at ILOSM: Celebrities have accomplished great things, but that doesn’t make them perfect people, it simply makes them perfectly flawed human beings- just like the rest of us. Respect to Janis Gaye for letting the world have a sneak peak into their lives.

The details behind the relationship between the beloved Marvin Gaye and his ex-wife, Jan Gaye, (also known as Janis Gaye) never cease to shock us. Jan and Marvin started dating when Jan was just a 17 year old fan from a foster home and Marvin was 34. As if that isn’t surprising enough, there is a whole lot more that Jan revealed throughout the years, including their threesomes with other celebs, orgies, and drug addictions. This time, she revealed a particular incident where she thought that she was about to take her last breathe at the hands of her husband, Marvin.

In her book, After The Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye, Jan recalled one of Marvin’s many drug induced anger outbursts, she said he was high on cocaine and magic mushrooms. The drugs caused him to become very angry and then accuse Jan of cheating on him…what she says he did next is scary:

“This time the madness reached a new and dangerous level,” Jan says.

“His eyes turned red with hatred. I was filled with fear…he took a kitchen knife and put it to my throat. I was petrified, paralyzed. I thought it was all over.

“’I’ve loved you so much,’ Marvin said. ‘This love is killing me. I beg you to provoke me. Provoke me right now so I can take us both out of our misery.’

“I was too frightened to say a word, too frightened to move. Fortunately, his rage subsided and he put the knife away. But by then I knew what I had to do.”

Jan eventually packed up herself, their two children, and moved out of their Los Angeles home, and that was when the true trouble began for both she and Marvin.

Jan said Marvin was all about being closed off from the outside world, so he kept an AK-47 and two guard dogs on deck at all times. Although Jan learned early on about Marvin’s battles with drugs and such, she couldn’t deny the fame and the glamorous life he provided for her:

“I realized that a million other women would jump at the chance that I had been given,” she says.

“It didn’t matter to me that he was using me to fulfill his fantasies. I was willing to be led and fed whatever stimulants he offered.”

Jan says that Marvin’s persistent insecurities that she was sleeping with other men, along with his abusiveness and drug addictions is what ultimately pushed her into the arms of other men- including Teddy Pendergrass and Frankie Beverly (of Maze)…yep you just read that right (see the details on that here).

Because of their tumultuous relationship, their marriage finally crashed and burned and they divorced in 1982. That was the year that all hell broke lose for Jan- she fell into deep poverty because she no longer had Marvin’s help and she turned to crack cocaine to numb her pain. As she tried to raise their two children, Frankie and Nona, she was also doing whatever she had to do to support her habit:

“I borrowed money from ex-lovers, friends, and family,” she says. “I got a job cleaning house for a lady who paid me half in cash and half in cocaine.”

Like we always say here at ILoveOldSchoolMusic, some of our favorite entertainers, like Marvin Gaye, have accomplished many great things in life, but that does not always mean that they are great, perfect people- nah, not at all- they are simply perfectly flawed human beings, just like the rest of us. That doesn’t justify any of their wrongdoings, just as it doesn’t justify our’s, but it just makes them human with personality/character issues that they need to work hard to repair.

In a prior interview, Nona Gaye and her mom, Janis Gaye said Rick James stepped up after his friend, Marvin Gaye’s, untimely death. Nona Gaye was 9 when Marvin was killed by his father. Both she and mom credit Rick James with saving their lives, getting Jan off of drugs and treating them like ‘gold.’ Shocking, considering Rick James’ lifestyle. With Marvin leaving no will and the IRS and creditors hounding the family, Nona said Rick was the one person they could count on for money. She says he literally saved their lives.

“After my husband was killed, I slipped into heavy drugs,” says Janis. “I was very depressed. I wanted to just die like him.” She credits Rick for sending them to a clinic to get cleaned up. According to her, “Rick said your life will be better for it.” The strange thing about it was she said it was crazy because Rick was one person she used to get high with. Now he was changing their lives. By the early 90s, James’ career had stalled and only Teena Marie could deal with him and his habit. But Rick kicked it and tried to save a few others. This is proof that things aren’t always what they seem on the outside. Just when you think you know a person, they sometimes shock you. Outside of the drugs, the alcohol, and wild sex stories, this shows that Rick was still a man of character beneath it all.

Embed from Getty Images

Nona Gaye also spoke on how she always saw her Dad (Marvin Gaye) and mother, Jan, do drugs and knew they had a problem. Then, like parents, like child – she unfortunately started doing drugs too at 14 and eventually would do them with her Mom.

Through all of that, Nona was still able find success on film, rather than following the career path of her late father, Marvin Gaye (1939–84). Nona Gaye made one record in the early 1990s before vanishing into years of substance abuse. Becoming a parent herself in 1997 forced her into a healthier lifestyle, and she began earning notice for her small, but well-executed supporting roles in films such as Ali and The Gospel. She also replaced Aaliyah in the two Matrix sequels after our beloved Aaliyah sadly passed away in a plane crash.

Gaye and her younger brother grew up in New York City, Los Angeles, and Ostende, Belgium, where their father had settled for tax reasons. The marriage between her parents, which lasted from 1977 to 1981, was a troubled one, and both had substance abuse problems, but the extreme love Marvin and Jan had for one another seems to still be there even after Marvin’s passing.
Source: biography.jrank.org

If reality TV would have existed back in the day, Marvin Gaye and his then-wife, Janis Gaye, would have garnered ratings that were through the roof. Their colorful escapades -and in this case, their sexscapades- make today’s reality shows look like Sesame Street in comparison.

In case you missed it, Jan released a memoir in May 2015, titled “After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye” and a lot of the details she revealed are mind blowing! One of the things Jan disclosed was her alleged affair with R&B legends, Frankie Beverly and Teddy Pendergrass; Lawd…she told it all.

That Time Frankie Beverly Crawled Away From Her…Literally

According to Janis, Marvin loved to see her get busy with other men and/or couples in the bedroom. He was 15 years her senior and was the dominating factor within their relationship. Then along came her fling with Frankie Beverly that had both and odd beginning and ending. Marvin apparently arranged a hotel hookup between his wife and Frankie:

Via DailyMail- Noting a chemistry between Janis and Maze singer, Frankie Beverly, Gaye did everything he could to set up an illicit liaison between the two. When Beverly came for a visit, Gaye not only booked him a room at a local motel but booked the adjoining room for Janis, saying he needed her out of the house so he could focus on music.

As Janis and Beverly smoked a joint in Janis’ hotel room, well aware of the awkwardness, there was a loud bang at the door. It was Gaye, seemingly hoping to catch them in the act. Beverly crawled back to his room on his hands and knees, and Gaye found Janis alone.

Wife Explains Why She Cheated With Frankie & Teddy P.

The visual of the cool-calm-collected Frankie Beverly, crawling outta that hotel room is entertaining, I must admit. Anywho, that hookup didn’t go as apparently planned, but Janis said she began having a sexual affair with Frankie Beverly AND Teddy Pendergrass at the SAME time behind Marvin Gaye’s back! Here’s what she said:

Via NYPost: Soon after Jan and Marvin married in October 1977, he was once again telling her that he loved her but was not in love with her. Gaye — now almost 40 — complained to his 22-year-old wife about her sagging breasts and her stretch marks, explaining, “There’s a big difference between pleasure and excitement. As a man, I can’t help but seek excitement.”

“I was barely 22,” she writes, “yet was convinced that I had lost my youth forever.”

They had vicious fights, including one time when Gaye, behind the wheel with both kids in the car, began to swerve and threatened to “drive this thing off the road!” […]

In time, torn by Gaye’s cruel treatment, Jan slept with [Frankie] Beverly and also hooked up with Teddy Pendergrass, Gaye’s main musical rival.

[Jan revealed she snorted cocaine with Teddy P. and one night when they were out on a date, a jealous Marvin sat outside the restaurant they were in and stalked them. Jan believes she was sleeping with Teddy and Frankie Beverly because she was acting out of anger at Marvin.]

The Violence

Then things turned violent, according to Jan:

Via NYPost: Gaye’s jealousy turned violent. One day, high on a blend of psychedelic mushrooms and cocaine, he started to talk about Jan’s betrayals and became “enraged.”

“He took a kitchen knife and put it to my throat,” she writes. “I was petrified, paralyzed. I thought it was all over.”

Gaye told her, “I’ve loved you too much. This love is killing me. I beg you to provoke me. Provoke me right now so I can take us both out of our misery.”

It’s clear to see that Marvin Gaye had his flaws and so did his wife, Jan Gaye. They are perfect examples of children who were broken, growing up and becoming broken adults. When Marvin sang, he sang from a place that sounded much like his life – painful and passionate.

Sounds like Marvin Gaye was also a good example of what we always say here at ILOSM: Celebrities have accomplished great things, but that doesn’t make them perfect people, it simply makes them perfectly flawed human beings- just like the rest of us. Respect to Janis Gaye for letting the world have a sneak peak into their lives.

In a prior interview, Nona Gaye and her mom, Janis Gaye said Rick James stepped up after his friend, Marvin Gaye’s, untimely death. Nona Gaye was 9 when Marvin was killed by his father. Both she and mom credit Rick James with saving their lives, getting Jan off of drugs and treating them like ‘gold.’ Shocking, considering Rick James’ lifestyle. With Marvin leaving no will and the IRS and creditors hounding the family, Nona said Rick was the one person they could count on for money. She says he literally saved their lives.

Embed from Getty Images

“After my husband was killed, I slipped into heavy drugs,” says Janis. “I was very depressed. I wanted to just die like him.” She credits Rick for sending them to a clinic to get cleaned up. According to her, “Rick said your life will be better for it.” The strange thing about it was she said it was crazy because Rick was one person she used to get high with. Now he was changing their lives. By the early 90s, James’ career had stalled and only Teena Marie could deal with him and his habit. But Rick kicked it and tried to save a few others. This is proof that things aren’t always what they seem on the outside. Just when you think you know a person, they sometimes shock you. Outside of the drugs, the alcohol, and wild sex stories, this shows that Rick was still a man of character beneath it all.

Embed from Getty Images

Nona Gaye also spoke on how she always saw her Dad (Marvin Gaye) and mother, Jan, do drugs and knew they had a problem. Then, like parents, like child – she unfortunately started doing drugs too at 14 and eventually would do them with her Mom.

Through all of that, Nona was still able find success on film, rather than following the career path of her late father, Marvin Gaye (1939–84). Nona Gaye made one record in the early 1990s before vanishing into years of substance abuse. Becoming a parent herself in 1997 forced her into a healthier lifestyle, and she began earning notice for her small, but well-executed supporting roles in films such as Ali and The Gospel. She also replaced Aaliyah in the two Matrix sequels after our beloved Aaliyah sadly passed away in a plane crash.

Gaye and her younger brother grew up in New York City, Los Angeles, and Ostende, Belgium, where their father had settled for tax reasons. The marriage between her parents, which lasted from 1977 to 1981, was a troubled one, and both had substance abuse problems, but the extreme love Marvin and Jan had for one another seems to still be there even after Marvin’s passing.
Source: biography.jrank.org

Embed from Getty Images

The details behind the relationship between the beloved Marvin Gaye and his ex-wife, Jan Gaye, (also known as Janis Gaye) never cease to shock us. Jan and Marvin started dating when Jan was just a 17 year old fan from a foster home and Marvin was 34. As if that isn’t surprising enough, there is a whole lot more that Jan revealed throughout the years, including their threesomes with other celebs, orgies, and drug addictions. This time she revealed a particular incident where she thought that she was about to take her last breathe at the hands of her husband, Marvin.

In her book, After The Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye, Jan recalled one of Marvin’s many drug induced anger outbursts, she said he was high on cocaine and magic mushrooms. The drugs caused him to become very angry and then accuse Jan of cheating on him…what she says he did next is scary:

“This time the madness reached a new and dangerous level,” Jan says.

“His eyes turned red with hatred. I was filled with fear…he took a kitchen knife and put it to my throat. I was petrified, paralyzed. I thought it was all over.

“’I’ve loved you so much,’ Marvin said. ‘This love is killing me. I beg you to provoke me. Provoke me right now so I can take us both out of our misery.’

“I was too frightened to say a word, too frightened to move. Fortunately, his rage subsided and he put the knife away. But by then I knew what I had to do.”

Jan eventually packed up herself, their two children, and moved out of their Los Angeles home, and that was when the true trouble began for both she and Marvin.

Jan said that Marvin was all about being closed off from the outside world, so he kept an AK-47 and two guard dogs on deck at all times. Although Jan learned early on about Marvin’s battles with drugs and such, she couldn’t deny the fame and the glamorous life he provided for her:

“I realized that a million other women would jump at the chance that I had been given,” she says.

“It didn’t matter to me that he was using me to fulfil his fantasies. I was willing to be led and fed whatever stimulants he offered.”

Jan says that Marvin’s persistent insecurities that she was sleeping with other men, along with his abusiveness and drug addictions is what ultimately pushed her into the arms of other men- including Teddy Pendergrass and Frankie Beverly (of Maze)…yep you just read that right (see the details on that here).

Continue Reading>>>

In a prior interview, Nona Gaye and her mom, Janis Gaye said Rick James stepped up after his friend, Marvin Gaye’s, untimely death. Nona Gaye was 9 when Marvin was killed by his father. Both she and mom credit Rick James with saving their lives, getting Jan off of drugs and treating them like ‘gold.’ Shocking, considering Rick James’ lifestyle. With Marvin leaving no will and the IRS and creditors hounding the family, Nona said Rick was the one person they could count on for money. She says he literally saved their lives.

Embed from Getty Images

“After my husband was killed, I slipped into heavy drugs,” says Janis. “I was very depressed. I wanted to just die like him.” She credits Rick for sending them to a clinic to get cleaned up. According to her, “Rick said your life will be better for it.” The strange thing about it was she said it was crazy because Rick was one person she used to get high with. Now he was changing their lives. By the early 90s, James’ career had stalled and only Teena Marie could deal with him and his habit. But Rick kicked it and tried to save a few others. This is proof that things aren’t always what they seem on the outside. Just when you think you know a person, they sometimes shock you. Outside of the drugs, the alcohol, and wild sex stories, this shows that Rick was still a man of character beneath it all.

Embed from Getty Images

Nona Gaye also spoke on how she always saw her Dad (Marvin Gaye) and mother, Jan, do drugs and knew they had a problem. Then, like parents, like child – she unfortunately started doing drugs too at 14 and eventually would do them with her Mom.

Through all of that, Nona was still able find success on film, rather than following the career path of her late father, Marvin Gaye (1939–84). Nona Gaye made one record in the early 1990s before vanishing into years of substance abuse. Becoming a parent herself in 1997 forced her into a healthier lifestyle, and she began earning notice for her small, but well-executed supporting roles in films such as Ali and The Gospel. She also replaced Aaliyah in the two Matrix sequels after our beloved Aaliyah sadly passed away in a plane crash.

Gaye and her younger brother grew up in New York City, Los Angeles, and Ostende, Belgium, where their father had settled for tax reasons. The marriage between her parents, which lasted from 1977 to 1981, was a troubled one, and both had substance abuse problems, but the extreme love Marvin and Jan had for one another seems to still be there even after Marvin’s passing.
Source: biography.jrank.org