In February 1981, struggling with drink and drug dependency and being chased by the IRS over a multi-million-dollar tax bill, the 42-year-old singer-songwriter took the ferry from England to the faded fishing town Ostend in Belgium. He was expected to stay for a few weeks in the family home of the music promoter and hotel owner Freddy Cousaert. But Gaye ended up living in the down-at-heel resort for nearly 18 months, during which he penned one of his biggest hits, Sexual Healing, from his seafront rooms at the Residence Jane apartment block.—The Guardian