Marvin Gaye – Net Worth -$9 Million

Marvin Gaye was an iconic soul singer and songwriter. Although he saw immense success, he had a negative net worth at that time of his death. It was mostly due to unpaid taxes on his real estate and his alimony to his former wife. In 1976, his lawyers filed for bankruptcy after failing to pay alimony to ex-wife Anna Gordy Gaye. The judge released an order for him to pay his former wife $600,000, from the royalties of his yet to be released album, Here, My Dear.

By some unfortunate incident, he was killed in 1984. When he passed away, he still owed his ex-wife a little under $300,000. He left no will at the time of his death so his cash was put on hold. Numerous establishments have after death offered Gaye grants and different distinctions including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and enlistments into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.