Nona Marvisa Gaye was born on 4 September 1974, in Washington D.C. USA. She is the daughter of the late musician Marvin Gaye, and granddaughter of late jazz singer and songwriter Slim Gaillard. Gaye is a singer, actress and former fashion model. She is perhaps best known for playing Zee in the 2003 Matrix sequels.
So just how rich is Nona Gaye? Sources estimate that Gaye has earned a net worth of over $3 million, as of mid-2016, which she has acquired through her career as a singer, model and actress.
Nona Gaye Net Worth $3 Million
Gaye grew up in New York City, Los Angeles, and Ostende, Belgium. She appeared as a baby with her father at one of his concerts, but her parents had a troubled marriage as both were using drugs, and they divorced in 1981. In 1984, when Gaye was nine years old, her father was shot to death in an argument by his father, Marvin Gaye Sr.. Gaye’s family was struggling with finances after her father’s death, as most of his inheritance went to settling taxes. Things got worse with her mother’s worsening drug addiction and Gaye herself started to use drugs at the age of 14. She dropped out of high school during her sophomore year, but soon took a minor role in the 1989 Eddie Murphy movie “Harlem Nights”.
In 1992 she released her album “Love for the Future” – although its single “I’m Overjoyed” became highly popular, the album didn’t sell well. In 1993 People Magazine named her one of its 50 Most Beautiful People, and the following year saw her signing to the Ford Modeling Agency and becoming the new face of Armani. Around the same time, she became involved with the late R&B star Prince, both dating him and collaborating with him for around three years. She recorded a few songs with Prince, including duets “1000 Hugs and Kisses” and “Love Sign”, and provided backing vocals on Prince’s single “We March” and on the title track to the “Girl 6” soundtrack. She also starred in a Prince-produced European TV special called “The Beautiful Experience”, based on promoting Prince’s new material. She was earning money, but…
… during this time, Gaye was struggling with drug abuse along with her mother, who started treatment in 1996, the same year Gaye herself entered a rehab.
In 2001 she decided to audition for Michael Mann’s film “Ali”, a biopic about the great boxer Muhammad Ali. She got the role of Ali’s second wife Khalilah ‘Belinda’ Ali which brought her to win the Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2002, and her net worth was greatly enhanced. The following year she got the chance to replace singer/actress Aaliyah who died in a plane crash, taking on Alliyah’s role of Zee, the wife of Harold Perrineau’s character Link, in the 2003 Matrix sequels “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolution”. Her performances won rave reviews and significantly added to her wealth.
She went on to appear in the 2004 movies “Crash” and “The Polar Express” and in “xXx: State of the Union”and “Gospel” the following year. In 2006 she was cast as an attorney in the television series “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” replacing Courtney B. Vance, but soon decided to leave the series. In 2008 she released her EP “Language of Love”, consisting of the title track and two more tracks “Quarter to Three” and “Midas Lover”. The following year she appeared in the movie “Blood and Bone”, after which she disappeared into seclusion.
When it comes to her personal life, Gaye married her high-school boyfriend Justin Martinez, with whom she reconnected and married after her drug treatment ended in 1997. They have a son together, but shortly after his birth the couple divorced. Sources believe Gaye is single at present.
