The U.S. Postal Service is releasing a stamp of soul music legend Marvin Gaye with a stamp on April 2, which would have been his 80th birthday.
The stamp honoring Gaye, who died in a day before his 45th birthday in 1984, is part of its new Music Icon series and designed to resemble the cover of a 45 rpm record. The stamp is based on original art by Kadir Nelson – artist for the cover of Michael Jackson’s “Michael” album and for Drake’s “Nothing Was the Same.” The art director was Derry Noyes, whose specialty is turning art into stamp designs.
The Postal Service shared an image on its Instagram account of someone holding the stamp up close to the camera with Washington D.C.’s historic Howard Theatre – scene of many of Gaye’s performances — in the background. The stamp was inspired by archival photographs of Gaye.
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Gaye died 35 years ago, April 1 when he was fatally shot by his father, Marvin Gay Sr. (the singer added the “e” to his name), with whom he shared a tense relationship.
