Explosive memoir published by Marvin Gaye’s ex-wife

Jan Gaye, who was married to the soul legend from 1977-1981 has broken decades of silence with a searing new autobiography, ‘After the Dance’, released this week.

Hunter was a foster child, with a jazz musician father, the singer and multi-instrumentalist Slim Gaillard. When she first met Marvin in 1973, Janis Hunter was a seventeen-year-old high school student, and Marvin Gaye was already a global superstar, married to Anna Gordy (the sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy).

A scorching affair with Gaye led her into a world of drugs, sex, alcohol and music, many details of which come out in the new book.

Their relationship bore two children – Nona and Frank Gaye. She claims their father became increasingly moody, duplicitous, selfish and suspicious as drugs became a constant problem. He would be increasingly violent, unfaithful and eventually had serious problems with money.

In her book, Jan details her own drug issues, her affairs with soul stars Frankie Beverly and Teddy Pendergrass, and makes accusations against Hollywood star Ryan O’Neal.

She eventually split with Marvin two years before his tragic death – shot at point-blank range by his own father.

Her voice can be heard on some of Gaye’s recordings; she was employed as a backing singer for hits such as ‘Got To Give It Up’, and in fact earlier this year, she was a driving force for the court case against Robin Thicke and Pharell’s hit ‘Blurred Lines’.

Win a copy of 'After The Dance' in The Jazz Club. 

‘After The Dance’ by Jan Gaye and David Ritz is published by Harper Collins.