Marvin Gaye's second wife Janis Hunter Gaye has died age 66, her family have said.
She died on Saturday at her home in Rhode Island. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Their daughter, Nona Gaye, announced: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of my mother, Janis Gaye.
"She was the most influential woman in my life and many others.
"I believe once you met my mother Jan, she wasn’t a woman you could ever forget."
Nona went on to explain how her beloved mother never 'said anything she didn't mean'.
"Every day she was here it was about the love she felt for her husband, children, grandson, and the friends she met all over the world," she said.
According to Nona, Janis tried her best to 'preserve his [Marvin's] legacy' after he died in 1984.
The wife of the late Motown icon is believed to have inspired his album I Want You.
He is believed to have written the song 'Jan' for her on the 1976 album, with music writer Michael Eric Dyson describing it as a 'romantic and erotic tribute' to her.
Marvin and Janis, who hails from Los Angeles, met each other during a 1973 recording session when she was 17, according to Hollywood Reporter.
She was even on the background vocals of her husband's 1977 song Got To Give It Up.
They married the same year and stayed together until 1981.
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Janis was the daughter of musician Slim Gaillard, known for tracks lie Flat Foot Floogie (With a Floy Floy).
The talented star also managed her daughter Nona's career, who has credits in Matrix movies and Crash.
She leaves behind daughter Nona, son Frankie, sister Shawnn, brother Mark and her grandson Nolan.
Marvin was one of Motown's most famous artists, with tracks like Let's Get It On and Sexual Healing still regarded as classics five decades on.
However, before he found fame, the singer had a shockingly difficult upbringing, which would then lead to his tragic end.
Marvin was shot and killed on April 1, 1984, a day before his 45th birthday.
The gunman was his father, Marvin Gaye Senior, and he died in the family home.
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