Marvin Gaye’s second wife, Janis Hunter Gaye, has died at the age of 66, her daughter Nona has confirmed.
In a statement made to The Hollywood Reporter, Nona revealed that her mother had passed away on Saturday in her Rhode Island home, though she didn’t disclose the actual cause of death.
“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,” Nona wrote in her statement. “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.” Janis was only 17 when she first met the Motown legend at a Los Angeles studio in 1973 thanks to her mom, Barbara, who was friends with Marvin’s frequent collaborator and producer Ed Townsend. The two welcomed Nona the following year and would go on to have one more child — son Franke Gaye — in 1975.
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