Marvin Gaye, the soul singer of hits “Let’s Get It On” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” went bankrupt because he owed his ex-wife alimony.
Gaye is known as one of the most famous musicians of all time, but in 1976, he filed for bankruptcy after falling behind on alimony payments to his first wife, Anna Gordy Gaye.
In 1976, a judge ordered Gaye to pay his ex-wife $600,000 from royalties of his upcoming album, “Here, My Dear.” In 1984, he was shot and killed by his father. At the time, the 44-year-old Gaye still owed Anna just under $300,000 in back alimony.
