Bishop Marvin Louis Sapp, born on January 28, 1967, is a renowned American Gospel music singer-songwriter. He gained prominence as a member of the group Commissioned in the 1990s before embarking on a highly successful solo career.
Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sapp’s musical journey began at the tender age of four when he started singing in church. It was during his third-grade years that he crossed paths with MaLinda Prince, who would later become his spouse.
Sapp pursued studies at the Aenon Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana, even though the institution was unaccredited. In 1996, he took the bold step to establish himself as a contemporary gospel solo artist, resulting in the creation of seven albums. Sapp’s breakthrough into mainstream recognition came with the release of “Never Would Have Made It” from the album Thirsty in 2007. This track achieved considerable success, reaching No. 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100, and securing the top spot on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart.
Thirsty debuted impressively at No. 28 on the U.S. Billboard 200, No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and also claimed No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Top Gospel Albums. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as gold, a testament to its sales of over 500,000 copies. This achievement marked the pinnacle of Sapp’s solo discography, with the album amassing over 712,000 sales to date. In 2009, Sapp secured victory in all seven categories for which he was nominated at the Gospel Stellar Awards.
Sapp’s subsequent album after Thirsty, titled Here I Am, was recorded on October 16, 2009, at Resurrection Life Church in Wyoming, Michigan. Its release on March 16, 2010, propelled Sapp to the position of the highest-charting gospel artist in Billboard’s history of tracking album sales spanning 54 years. By selling approximately 76,000 copies in its debut week, Here I Am secured the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.
The album’s lead single, “The Best in Me,” co-written by the producer Aaron Lindsey (Israel Houghton), reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, clinched the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Gospel Songs chart, and attained No. 20 on Billboard’s Urban AC chart. Notably, on January 15, 2011, Marvin Sapp dominated the 26th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards with a series of wins.
Sapp’s life took a somber turn with the passing of his wife, MaLinda Prince Sapp. MaLinda, who held the role of administrative pastor at the Lighthouse Full Life Center Church, succumbed to colon cancer on September 9, 2010. The union between Marvin Sapp and MaLinda bore three children: Marvin L. II (born August 30, 1994), MiKaila D. (born September 8, 1997), and Madisson (born June 9, 1999).
During the early 2010s, subsequent to his wife’s demise, Sapp found himself dealing with a distressing situation involving a stalker named Dr. Teleka Patrick. Patrick, a medical student who relocated from California to Kalamazoo, Michigan, expressed romantic intentions toward Sapp through various social media channels. Despite only a few of these posts directly mentioning Sapp’s name, they alluded to her infatuation with him.
On August 25th, 2013, Sapp strongly voiced his concern about an unidentified woman (now believed to be Patrick) who had intruded into his home the previous night and interacted with his three teenage children.
Subsequently, Sapp filed a personal-protection order for himself and his children with the Kent County Circuit Court. This legal action accused Patrick of persistent contact over a year’s span, joining his church, visiting his residence, communicating with his children, and falsely claiming a spousal relationship. Sapp’s legal representation cited extensive correspondence from Patrick, totaling around 400 pages, which he had not responded to. The court granted the protection order against Patrick on September 17, 2013.
The saga surrounding Patrick’s fixation on Sapp garnered further attention following her disappearance on December 5th, 2013. Authorities clarified that Sapp was not under suspicion in connection to her vanishing. Ultimately, Patrick’s untimely demise was determined to be accidental, with her body discovered in a pond in Porter, Indiana, on April 16, 2014.