Marvin Gaye shot to death 27 years ago today

(CBS) April Fools Day is mostly thought of as a day for pranksters and jokes, but it's also the anniversary of R&B crooner Marvin Gaye's death.

Gaye was shot to death by his father 27 years ago today, on April 1, 1984, after he tried to intervene during an argument between his parents.

The singer would have turned 45 the next day.

His father, Marvin Gay Sr., pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was given a six-year suspended prison sentence. He died of pneumonia on Oct. 19, 1998, in California.

Gaye's biggest hits include "Let's Get It On," "What's Going On?", "Ain't That Peculiar," and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)."

He was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.