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Accidental VIP
On Meeting Marvin Gaye and A Brush With Greatness
After all, this article is being written on April 1, 2024. Forty years after Marvin Gaye was shot by his father. I was triggered while driving, listening to a speaker on the radio. All of a sudden a memory about April 1st, a day before Marvin Gaye would turn 45 years old.
His footprint is in our society and 40 years ago, 1 day before his 45th birthday, he would slip away. The world would lose a great and gentle person, a Grammy Award Winner, an activist against war poverty and social injustice. He influenced Soul Music artists and many others to bring back love and sexy.
Attending an event with a friend involved with people in the industry would lead me to be in his presence for an entire day. In those days, it was hard to get into a “session” with any artist, let alone a private audience with this man. Since the warning was to be silent at all times and bring something to amuse myself through the lulls of time, I brought some yarn and a crochet hook. The moment I saw Marvin Gaye enter the room, I decided to work on a skull cap. That was Marvin Gaye’s signature look, when out of formal attire.
