3.Marvin Gaye

If anyone could be given full credit for shaping the sound of Motown, it is Marvin Gaye. He was a very dedicated singer, record producer and songwriter. Due to his contribution to the music, Gaye was nicknamed the Prince of Soul and the Prince of Motown. Some of his hits included I Heard It Through the Grapevine and the usual Sunday classic How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).

While Gaye had been very prolific during his lifetime, he also made several decisions that crippled him financially. He was not able to keep up with alimony payments and owed his wife $600,000. He then formally filed for bankruptcy and tried his best to earn as much. Fortunately, in 1982, his Grammy Award-winning single reached number one and stayed at the top of the charts for 10 weeks. Moving forward, Gaye handled his finances well until his untimely passing in 1984.