Frankie Gaye[1] (born Frances Gay, November 15, 1941 – December 30, 2001) was a singer and the younger brother of the more famous singer Marvin Gaye. Born the son of minister Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr. and domestic Alberta Cooper in Washington, D.C., Frances watched as Marvin became a superstar. Frankie's horrific accounts of his service during the Vietnam War (which included being a radio DJ) inspired Marvin's classic 1971 concept album What's Going On.
Frankie began his music career composing the soundtrack to the 1979 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 singing in the background of Marvin's 1977 hit, "Got to Give It Up", featured on Marvin's Live at the London Palladium album. 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 complications following a heart attack at the age of 60. The book was finally released in 2003 to mixed reviews.
Marvin's youngest child, Frankie Christian Gaye (born in November 1975), was named after Frankie.
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