Before he released the runaway hit, Sexual Healing, Marvin Gaye was busy with other things. At just 17 years old, he dropped out of high school and joined the United States Air Force as a basic airman. Having the soul of a musician doesn't really match up too well with a military career - Gaye absolutely hated his job and went to great lengths to escape it. He went as far as faking a mental illness to get out of his service. It worked, and he was issued a general discharge.
Gaye went from someone who couldn't follow orders in the Air Force to one of the greatest influencers on the Motown scene in the 60s. He worked with Diana Ross, he won Grammys, he was a huge success. The happiness didn't quite last and he was fatally shot by his own father in 1984.