Equal shares of Marvin Gaye’s assets would pass to each of his children under California’s intestate rules. Additionally, they were able to eliminate his mountain of debt.
The composition rights, NOT the performance rights, belonged to the children’s father. The estate held the performing rights.
Who inherited Marvin Gaye money and estate?
In fact, “excellent marketing of his music rights,” as Trust Counsel puts it, allowed Marvin’s heirs to settle his obligations. Furthermore, the family ended up making money from the music rights when the debts owed by the Gaye estate were settled.
The Gaye family has continued to profit from their father’s catalog to this day. For instance, according to NBC News, a judge ordered Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams to pay the Gaye estate $5 million in royalties in 2015 after finding that their song “Blurred Lines” violated the copyright of Gaye’s 1977 hit song “Got to Give It Up.”
