Marvin Gaye's Tragic Death: Shot by Father on April 1, 1984, a Day Before His 45th Birthday

[Pete]

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On April 1, 1984, in the early afternoon, Marvin Gaye stepped in to break up a fight between his parents at their home in the West Adams neighborhood of Western Heights in Los Angeles. The situation escalated into a physical confrontation with his father, Marvin Gay Sr., who then shot Gaye twice—first in the chest, hitting his heart, and then in the shoulder. The incident occurred in Gaye's bedroom at 12:38 p.m. The initial shot was fatal, and Gaye was declared dead at 1:01 p.m. upon arrival at California Hospital Medical Center, just one day before he would have turned 45.