The death of the 20-year-old chart-topper leaves behind a trail of violence but to the network of fans who grieve him, he was a troubled genius
Death is indiscriminate not just in its inevitability, but in its propensity for bleaching some of our darkest stains. Frank Sinatra’s baritone, natty fashion sense, and world-famous blue eyes charmed women – while his alleged links to organized crime and a violent temper showcased a different side. Marvin Gaye was a smooth soul singer blessed with a distinctive, effortless voice – who mistreated his partners, going so far as to hold a knife to the throat of his second wife, Jan. Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner, James Brown – all abusive, all widely revered. But they were men of a more patriarchal, and thus more permissive, time.
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