Prayers up for the Gaye family. Jan Gaye, the wife of the late Marvin Gaye , passed away at 66.
Her family stated that Gaye passed away in her Rhode Island home from an undisclosed illness. Jan was Marvin Gaye’s second wife and they met in 1973 during a recording session in Los Angeles when she was 17 and he was 34.
She would later become an inspiration for some of the singer’s hits and he even wrote the song “Jan” for her which would appear on the 1974 Marvin Gaye Live! album.
Gaye’s 1977 hit Gots To Give It Up landed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the number 1 spot with Jan’s background vocals on it. It was also the same year that the two of them got married.
In a statement, Jan’s daughter, Nona Gaye spoke about her mother and more. “From the time she met my father, she was exposed to the way he saw this world was aching, and she did her best to preserve his legacy as he was taken from us far too early.”
She continued, “She took every moment to speak about every word and every note of his music, and she wanted to make sure everyone knew the man she fell in love with. I will never get to see her again in this life but know she’s in heaven with my father and a spokesperson for us in spirit.”
We will continue to keep her family and loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.