Marvin Gaye passed away 40 years ago, but he left a massive impact on the music industry after releasing some of the best songs of all time. Fans may have thought that they had already heard all of his tracks, but they're proven wrong after 60 of his unreleased songs were recently discovered in Belgium.
According to American Songwriter Gaye released his final album, Midnight Love, in 1982. Decades later, fans received big news when some of his never-before-heard tracks were unearthed.
To give a background, the legendary singer spent time with musician Charles Dumolin in Belgium before his passing. At the time, he left over 30 tapes containing tracks that he never publicly released.
In addition, Dumolin's family also obtained some of Gaye's costumes, notebooks, and letters.
Marvin Gaye's Personal Items Kept For 40 Years
40 years later, the Dumolin family lawyer, Alex Trappeniers, spoke with the BBC to reveal that they have Gaye's personal items.
"We can open a time capsule here and share the music of Marvin with the world. It's very clear. He's very present," Trappeniers said.
He further discussed that some of the songs were complete, and a few of them were as good as the song "Sexual Healing," which was recorded at the same time.
"There was one song that when I listened to it for ten seconds, I found the music and the words were in my head all day, like a moment of planetary alignment," he said, but he never played any of the tracks to the outlet and even claimed that his wife had never heard of them.
Who Is the Legal Owner of Marvin Gaye's Personal Items?
There are questions surrounding Gaye's personal items, but the Trappeniers insisted that, based on Belgian law, the Dumolin family is the rightful owner of the tapes and costumes because they have been in possession of them for three decades.
"Marvin gave it to them and said, 'Do whatever you want with it' and he never came back. That's important," he explained.
The outlet already contacted Gaye's family and noted that lawyers for two of his children are now aware of the unearthed items. Negotiation between the two parties is possible in the future, but it hasn't begun yet.
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