Marvin Gaye III, 47, is suffering from potential kidney failure. He has recently announced that the disease he has will require a kidney transplant. The adopted eldest son of the late Marvin Gaye said that the preemptive lawsuit brought by Robin Thicke against his late father’s estate was a distraction and was not allowing him to deal very effectively with his medical issues.

Marvin Gaye’s family was threatening to sue Thicke and his “Blurred Lines” collaborators, claiming their No. 1 song is essentially a remake of Gaye’s 1977 disco hit, “Got To Give It Up.” But then, the “Blurred Lines” collaborators, Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell, took a preemptive strike against Gaye’s heirs by filing a complaint in a California court last month asking a judge to determine that “Blurred Lines” does not copy Gaye’s song or take his composition without credit.

Marvin Gaye III said that he had to spend a lot of time on the defense. He said, “I have a lot of better things to do than to be sitting here trying to defend my father’s legacy, which I’m glad to do because that’s my position in the family.”

However, The Associated Press reports that he is now leading an organ donation campaign. This particular campaign is meant to encourage Blacks and Hispanics to participate more fully in organ donation programs. Since seeking the transplant, he has become very aware of the difficulties that exist for people in similar circumstances.

The US Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement saying:

“African-Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics/Latinos are three times more likely than Caucasians to suffer from end-stage renal disease, often as the result of high blood pressure and other conditions that can damage the kidneys. Almost 35 percent of the more than 95,000 people on the national waiting list for a kidney transplant are African-American.”

On top of all that is going on for Gaye III, he is also trying to promote his new album. He hopes the album will raise awareness, and money, to support kidney research.

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