Frankie Gaye

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Frankie Gaye in 1989

Frankie Gaye (November 15, 1941 - December 30, 2001) was a singer and younger brother of music legend Marvin Gaye. Born the son of minister Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr. and schoolteacher Alberta in Washington, D.C., Frankie watched as his eldest brother became a music superstar. His horrific accounts of his time during his tenure Vietnam War (which included being a radio deejay) would lead to become his oldest brother's biggest inspiration when he based his classic 1971 concept album What's Going On to his brother's travails just as he returned back to America.

Frankie began his music career composing the soundtrack to the 1972 film, "Penitentiary". He would spend time singing on and off for his brother onstage as part of Marvin's touring band. During one of Marvin's first tours back from a six year hiatus in 1973, Marvin had Frankie come on the stage to fool fans of his that Frankie was actually Marvin. When Marvin showed up, fans were understandably confused about the brothers' eerie similarities to each other. Frankie's most notable moment on any of Marvin's records was during the live show at Marvin's Palladium concert in London in 1977. He released two singles, "Extraordinary Girl" in 1989 and "My Brother" in 1990 and released the album of the same name on the latter year for Motorcity Records.

In 2000, he began composing the autobiography depicting the times and travails of his life with his older brother titled "Marvin Gaye: My Brother". There's no telling on whether or not he was done with the biography, when on December 30, 2001, Gaye died of cancer at the age of 60. The book was finally released in 2003 to mixed reviews.