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Marvin Gaye
John Minihan, Evening Standard, Getty Images
Marvin Gay Sr. was a minister in a Pentacostal church who also frequently beat his children well into their teens. After quitting his position, he developed a severe drinking habit and would often spend time dressed in his wife's clothes and wigs. The younger Gaye -- who added the "e" to his last name before the release of his first single -- was kicked out of the house at 17 and enlisted in the Air Force, though he was discharged after faking a mental illness due to the fact that he hated the strict rules. Later in his career, Gaye moved back in with his parents while his mental and physical health deteriorated due to a cocaine addiction. The tension between father and son was as bad as ever and culminated in an altercation that ended when, after fighting and being separated, Gaye's father shot Marvin Jr. twice, killing him. Claiming self defense, his father pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and served six years probation.











