Within weeks, the tour was underway, and the deterioration had resumed.
—
THE FINAL MONTHS: A CHRONOLOGY OF DESCENT
The months between the end of the Sexual Healing Tour in August 1983 and Marvin Gaye’s death on April 1, 1984 — approximately seven months — represent one of the most documented and most painful periods of his life.
August 1983: The tour ends in Costa Mesa. Gaye is physically depleted, deeply paranoid, and addicted to cocaine and PCP. He returns to Los Angeles.
Late 1983: He rents a mansion in Sherman Oaks. He accumulates debt. He becomes increasingly isolated. The mansion becomes unsustainable.
November/December 1983: He moves into his parents’ house at 2101 Gramercy Place in West Adams. The relationship between him and his father—never good—is now being lived out in close quarters, without the buffer of distance.
Christmas 1983: Gaye gives his father the .38 Smith & Wesson revolver, telling those around him it is for protection against assassins he believes are targeting him.
January/February 1984: Multiple accounts describe his mental and physical state as continuing to worsen. He is spending significant time in his bedroom. He is not sleeping or eating regularly. He is frightened and angry. Friends who visit find him diminished.
March 28, 1984: Four days before his death, Gaye reportedly jumps from a moving car. He sustains minor injuries. This incident is consistent with his history of suicidal episodes, though whether it reflects genuine suicidal intent in this instance is not known.
March 31, 1984: Gay Sr. and Alberta argue over a missing insurance document. Marvin intervenes. The argument is loud and tense. There is no physical violence. The household settles.