Marvin Gaye What's Going On documentary approved by family

Marvin Gaye, 1970s (Image credit: Getty)

Marvin Gaye’s family have approved an upcoming documentary based on the recording of the late blues icon’s seminal 1971 album What’s Going On.

The film, titled Marvin, What’s Going On? has received support and contribution from Gaye’s ex-wife Janis and his children Frankie, Nona and Marvin III. It is scheduled to go into production this year before launching in 2017.

Filmed on location in Washington DC, LA and Detroit, the documentary will trace the inspiration behind an album which focuses on issues such as poverty, police brutality, drug abuse and injustice following Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. It will also feature exclusive interviews with some of Motown’s biggest stars and never-before-seen archive footage of Gaye.

Gaye’s children say: “We are proud that his relevance remains intact, and we look forward to being a part of this cinematic journey.

“Our father was complex, but we are confident that with Noah Media Group’s attention to detail and their dedication to the truth, the positive, inspirational and aspirational aspects of his life will be handled and shared with the world in a way never seen before.

“We look forward to participating and sharing what we can through friends, family, photos, footage and priceless stories that only those who knew our father up close and personal would know, as well as his contemporaries, purists and fans who have studied him and his art over decades.”

Marvin Gaye was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame this year. He was shot dead by his father, aged 44 in 1984.

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Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.