Janis Hunter Gaye, Wife of Motown Legend Marvin Gaye, Dies at 66 on December 3, 2022. Let’s see more details about Janis Hunter Gaye and her Cause of Death.

Who is Janis Hunter Gaye?

Janis Hunter Gaye was born on January 6, 1956, the daughter of Barbara Hunter and the artist Slim Gaillard, Jan would meet Marvin during the recording session for “Let’s Get It On.”

Hunter Gaye was the daughter of singer-musician Slim Gaillard, known for hits including “Flat Foot Floogie (With a Floy Floy).” She also managed the career of her daughter, Nona Gaye, a singer and actress with credits including Ali, Crash, and two Matrix films.

During a 1973 recording session at Hitsville West in Los Angeles for his album Let’s Get It On, the singer was introduced to Hunter Gaye by producer Ed Townsend. At the time, Gaye was married to Berry Gordy’s sister Anna Gordy; Hunter Gaye was 17 and he was 34.

Marvin’s Dedication to Gaye

Gaye recorded the song “Jan” for his 1974 album Marvin Gaye Live! and dedicated it to his future wife; his 1976 album I Want You has been called “a sentimental and sensual ode” to her. She sang backup vocals on his 1977 disco single “Got to Give It Up,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That year, they got hitched.

Her family claims that Hunter Gaye put together the legendary ensemble that Gaye wore for his memorable 1974 musical performance at the Oakland Coliseum, which included a red watch cap, a beaded denim shirt, and silver red-laced platform boots.

Between 1977 through 1981, the couple was wed. They then divorced. After being shot by his father in Los Angeles, he passed away three years later. After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye, her autobiography, was released in 2015.

Janis Hunter Gaye Dies At 66 😥 https://t.co/qMfvMkG4ut

— Rusty Redenbacher (@rustymk2) December 6, 2022

After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye

by Jan Gaye

About the book

A riveting cautionary tale about the ecstasy and dangers of loving Marvin Gaye, a performer passionately pursued by all—and a searing memoir of drugs, sex, and old-school R&B from the wife of legendary soul icon Marvin Gaye.

After her seventeenth birthday in 1973, Janis Hunter met Marvin Gaye—the soulful prince of Motown with the seductive liquid voice whose chart-topping, socially conscious album What’s Going On made him a superstar two years earlier. Despite a seventeen-year-age difference and Marvin’s marriage to the sister of Berry Gordy, Motown’s founder, the enchanted teenager and the emotionally volatile singer began a scorching relationship.

One moment Jan was a high school student; the next she was accompanying Marvin to parties, navigating the intriguing world of the 1970s-‘80s celebrity; hanging with Don Cornelius on the set of Soul Train and helping to discover new talent like Frankie Beverly. But the burdens of fame, the chaos of dysfunctional families, and the irresistible temptations of drugs complicated their love.

Primarily silent since Marvin’s tragic death in 1984, Jan, at last, opens up, sharing the moving, fervently charged story of one of music history’s most fabled marriages. Unsparing in its honesty and insight, illustrated with sixteen pages of black-and-white photos, After the Dance reveals what it’s like to be in love with a creative genius who transformed popular culture and whose artistry continues to be celebrated today.

Janis Hunter Gaye’s Cause of Death

Janis Hunter Gaye, the second wife of Motown legend Marvin Gaye and the inspiration for several of his songs, died Saturday of an undisclosed cause at her home in Rhode Island, her family announced.

She was 66 years old. She is survived by her sister, Shawnn Monteiro, her brother Mark Gaillard, her children, Nona and Frankie, and grandson Nolan Pentz.

Condolences posted by the Loved ones

Nona Gaye, Stated “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my mother, Janis Gaye. She was the most influential woman in my life and many others. I believe once you met my mother Jan, she wasn’t a woman you could ever forget. Every word from her mouth was from her soul.

She never said anything she didn’t mean. I know her drive and influence from the time she was 17 until the day she died was all about her family and family that extended beyond blood – brothers, and sisters in every part of this beautiful and painful planet. Every day she was here was about the love she felt for her husband, children, grandson, and friends she met all over the world.

“Since she first met my father, she was exposed to the agonizing way he saw the world, and she tried her best to carry on his legacy even though he was stolen from us far too soon.

She made the most of every opportunity to talk about every phrase of his lyrics and musical composition because she wanted everyone to know the person she fell in love with. I’ll never get to see her again in this life, but I know my father is with her in heaven and that she is speaking for us there.

“From the first memory of my grandmother, I knew then and now, how much she cared about her family and the warmth she gave to all of us. I will always be grateful for all the memories.

She also cared about so many people in the world, and I will do everything I can to put into action the things she wanted and help continue the Gaye legacy,” added Nolan Pentz, her grandson. Further commenting, Nona Gaye stated, “my mom was immensely proud of her grandson, Nolan, and how he stepped up as a young man, like a soldier, to help the family and lend support in times of need.”

The famous author/activist bell hooks called Jan, “One of the most honest and courageous women I’ve ever met.”

Public Events and Donations

A public event will be announced. Donations in her honor can be made to Arms Around the Child, Breath With Me Revolution, and/or Fund a Mom.

Janis Hunter Gaye, Wife of Motown Legend Marvin Gaye, Dies at 66 https://t.co/nJGe1hoOEz

— Madeleine Dumais-Reynolds (@DumaisReynolds1) December 7, 2022

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