ANNA GORDY GAYE, the ex-wife of late soul legend Marvin Gaye and the older sister of Motown record label founder Berry Gordy Jr, died in Los Angeles on Friday at the age of 92, the family publicist said.
“She died today at her Los Angeles home. She passed away from natural causes. They discovered her body at 3am,” said Maureen O’Connor, executive vice president of publicists Rogers & Cowan.
The songwriter and businesswoman was married to Gaye from 1964 to 1977 and helped compose two songs, “Flying High (In the Friendly Sky)” and “God is Love,” on Gaye’s classic album “What’s Going On.”
She was also the inspiration for his hit “Pride and Joy.”
When Marvin Gaye was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, she attended the ceremony. The singer died in 1984 at the age of 44 after he was shot by his father.
The couple had one son, Marvin Gaye III.
Her last public appearance was with Berry Gordy in 2008. The rise of the Motown label and the role of the two siblings is chronicled in the hit Broadway show “Motown: The Musical.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say