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April 1 marks 40 years since the passing of singer/ songwriter Marvin Gaye.
Just days before that tragic anniversary, new music from the Prince of Soul has been uncovered overseas, according to a report by the BBC.
The outlet reports that Gaye moved to Ostend, Belgium around 1982 after meeting a Belgian concert promoter while living in London. Gaye’s move was believed to get his life back on track as he was “becoming a heavy user of cocaine.”
While in Ostend, he lived with Belgian musician Charles Dumolin and returned to the studio.
Gaye left stage costumes, notebooks and cassettes of never-before-heard music to Dumolin, according to Belgian lawyer Alex Trappeniers, who is a business partner of the family.
Dumolin passed away in 2019 and now the items are in the possession of his family members.
Trappeniers revealed to the BBC that the treasure trove of music consists of 30 tapes, which consisted of “66 demos of new songs.”
“A few of them are complete and a few of them are as good as ‘Sexual Healing,’ because it was made in the same time,” he explained.
When it comes to a potential legal battle over the items, Trappeniers said the “What’s Going On” crooner gave them to Dumolin and allegedly told them to “Do whatever you want with it and he never came back.”
While the items were intended for Dumolin and not his family members, Trappeniers explained there is a key sticking point in a possible legal issue.
Belgian property law states that if someone holds property of something, no matter how it’s acquired, it is theirs after 30 years.
It doesn’t matter if it’s stolen.
However, this does not apply to intellectual property.
This could mean that while the Dumolin family owns the tapes, they won’t be able to publish the songs themselves. That would likely come from the Gaye family.
In this case, Trappeniers thinks the two should just come together on a plan to release the music.
“I think we both benefit, the family of Marvin and the collection in the hands of (Dumolin’s heirs.) If we put our hands together and find the right people in the world, the Mark Ronsons or the Bruno Mars. I’m not here to make suggestions but to say OK, let’s listen to this and let’s make the next album.”
He also explained that the family could sell the entire collection to someone else who in turn could “exploit the music” and pass it off as their own.
This isn’t the first time Gaye’s heirs have gone to court for the singer’s music.
Years ago, Gaye’s family sued Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over their 2013 song “Blurred Lines.” They claimed it copied Gaye’s song “Got to Give It Up.”
A federal jury sided with the family and awarded them over $7.4 million.
On April 1, 1984, Gaye was shot and killed by his father while intervening in a domestic dispute between his parents in Los Angeles. He died a day shy of his 45th birthday.
He left behind three children; Marvin III, Nona and Frankie.
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