For Marvin Gaye’s family, the fight over “Blurred Lines” has apparently just begun.
After the family won a lawsuit against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke for the hit song’s musical similarities to “Got to Give It Up,” a new fight began over how to split the $7.4 million payout.
The Daily Mail reports Gaye’s sisters, Zeola and Jeanne Gaye, are now claiming that they have been blocked from receiving any of the money from the suit or from Gaye’s musical legacy.
They also claim they have been banned from performing any of their brother’s music, despite Zeola having performed the actual line in dispute in “Got to Give It Up.”
Marvin Gaye’s wife Jan and their three children, Marvin III, 49, Nona, 40 and Frankie, 39, have sole control over the $7.4 million, as well as all royalties from Gaye’s music.
“I am tired about the negativity. I am trying to be as positive as I can and trying to make some money for myself,” Zeola said. “There is nothing wrong with that. Marvin is in our blood and he loved us. But we have to do the 8am-5pm thing to keep going. Our heads are a little above water. It is hard to take when you know your brother’s work is making a fortune and will for a very long time.”
Zeola, who is a retired bookkeeper, went on to explain why the fortune was so divided:
Marvin didn’t leave a will and his estate went to his heirs which we agree with. But Jan controls it all and that’s why we do not get anything. The bottom line is that they get everything and we don’t get a dime. We try and live with that, but it is difficult.
Blurred lines, indeed.