EXCLUSIVE: Marvin Gaye's 41st Death Anniversary — The $7.4Million Estate War That Drove His Family Mad and How His Widow Was Left Traumatized By Ryan O'Neal's Sexual Advances
Marvin Gaye's family continued to face hardship years after his sudden death.
April 1 2025, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Marvin Gaye's life ended in tragedy when his father, Marvin Gaye Sr., gunned him down during a heated argument on April 1, 1984, just one day shy of his 45th birthday on April 2.
RadarOnline.com can reveal an inside look at the continued pain the legendary singer's family endured in a battle for his estate – and how his widow was traumatized by Ryan O'Neal's alleged sexual advances.
Gaye was fatally shot by his father, Marvin Gaye Sr., during a heated argument on April 1, 1984.
Family tensions erupted in 2013 when the What's Goin On hitmaker's children – Marvin III, Nona, and Frankie – were awarded $7.4million in a lawsuit accusing Robin Thicke of ripping off Gaye's 1977 hit Got to Give It Up on his 2013 song Blurred Lines.
In March 2015, a court found similarities between the two songs and ordered Thicke and Pharrell Williams to pay up for the copyright breach.
But Gaye's two sisters, Zeola and Jeanne, claimed they were cut off financially from the payout and their brother's royalties – and were "penniless" living in poverty.
A court ordered Robin Thicke and Pharrell to pay $7.4million after finding similarities between his 'Blurred Lines' and Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up.'
Zeola said: "The bottom line is that they get everything and we don't get a dime. If I was given a few million, it would change my life a lot."
She continued: "Marvin would have hated to have seen us like this. He would have cared for us and made sure we were fine financially and with love.
"It is hard knowing that all that money is going around and we will never see any of it."
Gaye's sister Zeola claimed she was living in poverty after being 'cut off' from his estate and royalties.
Meanwhile, Gaye's widow, Jan, claimed womanizer O'Neal sexually assaulted her in front of the entertainer before his death.
In her memoir, After the Dance: My Life with Marvin Gaye, Jan, who died aged 66 in 2022, recalled being "thrilled" when he husband introduced her to O'Neal during lunch at Daisy bistro in the 70s.
Jan confessed O'Neal was "an incredibly handsome movie star" and said the Sexual Healing singer telling her the actor was stopping by their table because of his wife's beauty.
Gaye's widow, Jan, later claimed O'Neal made sexual advances to her in front of the singer before his death.
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She recalled: "He arrived at our table and shook hands with Marvin, who introduced him to me – I was thrilled."
But Jan's excitement turned to disgust when O'Neal moved behind her – and allegedly pressed his manhood against the back of her neck.
She continued: "He made his move with great subtlety, but there was no mistaking the feel of his... against my neck. As he spoke with Marvin, he kept pressing ever so slightly. I had a funny smile on my face. I didn't know what to say or do."
While O'Neal, who died aged 82 in December 2023, later denied Jan's claims, insisting he "never met the woman," Gaye's wife explained she was so frightened by the interaction, she never told her husband of out fear "it would lead to a fight."
