Quincy Jones, producer and entertainment powerhouse, dies aged 91
Quincy Jones, a legendary figure in American entertainment known for collaborating with icons like Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, and Will Smith, has passed away at the age of 91.
Jones' representative, Arnold Robinson, announced that he passed away on Sunday evening at his residence in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles, with his family by his side.
"With heavy yet full hearts, we come together to announce the passing of our beloved father and brother, Quincy Jones," the family expressed in a statement. "While this is a significant loss for us, we choose to celebrate the remarkable life he led and recognize that there will never be anyone quite like him."
Jones was undoubtedly one of the most adaptable figures in pop culture during the 20th century. He is perhaps most recognized for working on Michael Jackson's iconic albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad in the 1980s, which helped establish Jackson as the ultimate pop superstar. In addition to his work with Jackson, Jones also collaborated with legendary artists like Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Donna Summer, among others.
He was also a highly acclaimed composer, creating music for numerous films and achieving several chart-topping singles under his own name. Jones was a prominent figure in the big band jazz scene, an arranger for jazz legends like Count Basie, and a talented musician, excelling particularly on the trumpet and piano. In 1990, he established his own production company, which found significant success with the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, among other projects. He kept pushing boundaries into his 80s, launching Qwest TV in 2017, a music streaming service. Jones ranks third in Grammy Award nominations, trailing only behind Beyoncé and Jay-Z, with a total of 80 nominations compared to their 88; he is also the third most awarded artist in Grammy history, with 28 wins.
One of the heartfelt tributes to Jones came from actor Michael Caine, who shares the same birthday as Jones: March 14, 1933. Caine expressed, “My cosmic counterpart Quincy was a giant in the music industry. He was an extraordinary and exceptional person, and I feel fortunate to have known him.”
Playwright and actor Jeremy O. Harris celebrated Jones's extensive impact on American culture, stating, "What was beyond his capabilities? Quincy Jones, who entered the world at a time when the aspirations of a Black boy were extremely restricted, showed us that there are no limits to what one can achieve."
Jones was born in Chicago. His father, who was of mixed race, had a background as the son of a Welsh plantation owner and one of his female slaves. Similarly, his mother's family also had roots in slave ownership. He was first exposed to music during his childhood, listening to a neighbor playing the piano. He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven and was further inspired by his mother’s singing.
After his parents split up, he relocated to Washington state to live with his father. There, he picked up drumming and learned various brass instruments while participating in his high school band. At 14, he began performing in a band with a 16-year-old Ray Charles at clubs in Seattle and even had the opportunity to support Billie Holiday in 1948. He pursued music studies at Seattle University before transferring to continue his education in Boston. Eventually, he moved to New York after being invited back by jazz bandleader Lionel Hampton, with whom he had previously toured as a teenager. Interestingly, during their performances in Detroit, Malcolm X was connected to that band as a heroin dealer.
In New York, one of his first jobs involved playing the trumpet in Elvis Presley’s band during the singer's initial television appearances. During this time, he connected with prominent figures in the rising bebop scene, such as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Interestingly, many years later, in 1991, Jones was the conductor for Davis’s final performance, just two months before the legendary musician passed away.
In the 1950s, Jones traveled around Europe with Hampton and spent a significant amount of time there, including a stint studying in Paris. During this time, he had the opportunity to meet influential figures such as Pablo Picasso, James Baldwin, and Josephine Baker. At just 23 years old, he also took on the role of musical director and arranger for Dizzy Gillespie, performing in South America and the Middle East. He assembled an exceptional group for his own big band and toured Europe to showcase a jazz musical called Free and Easy. Unfortunately, the tour was a total failure, leaving Jones feeling nearly hopeless and with a staggering debt of $100,000.
He landed a position at Mercury Records and gradually paid off his debts by working diligently as a producer and arranger for well-known artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, and Sammy Davis Jr. He also started composing music for films, eventually earning credits for well-known movies like The Italian Job, In the Heat of the Night, The Getaway, and The Color Purple, the last of which he produced and received 11 Oscar nominations for, including three for himself. In 1968, he made history as the first African American nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars for "The Eyes of Love" from the film Banning, a feat he achieved with songwriter Bob Russell; he had a total of seven nominations throughout his career. Additionally, he created scores for television shows such as The Bill Cosby Show, Ironside, and Roots.
His collaboration with Sinatra started in 1958 when he was brought on to lead and arrange music for Sinatra and his band, thanks to Grace Kelly, the princess consort of Monaco, for a charitable event. Jones and Sinatra worked together on various projects up until Sinatra's last album, *LA Is My Lady*, released in 1984. Meanwhile, Jones's solo music career began to flourish in the late 1950s, as he recorded albums under his own name as the leader of jazz groups featuring renowned artists like Charles Mingus, Art Pepper, and Freddie Hubbard.
Jones once reflected on his experience in Seattle, stating, “When people discuss music, they categorize jazz, R&B, and pop separately, but we did it all.” His diverse musical interests proved beneficial as pop evolved from the swing era. In the mid-60s, he produced several hits for Lesley Gore, a New York singer, including the chart-topping single “It’s My Party.” He later ventured into funk and disco, creating successful tracks such as George Benson’s “Give Me the Night” and “Baby Come to Me” by Patti Austin and James Ingram, as well as producing songs for Rufus and Chaka Khan and the Brothers Johnson. Additionally, Jones released his own funk music, achieving US Top 10 album success with “Body Heat” in 1974 and “The Dude” in 1981.
One of his most notable achievements in this genre was his collaboration with Michael Jackson. The album "Thriller" still holds the record as the best-selling album of all time, and Jones's ability to adapt between "Off the Wall" and "Bad" enabled Jackson's transformation from a graceful disco artist to a cutting-edge funk-rock performer. Together with Lionel Richie and producer Michael Omartian, they produced the hit charity song "We Are the World," which generated funds for famine relief in Ethiopia in 1985. When Jackson passed away in 2009, Jones expressed his deep sorrow, stating, “I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.” In 2017, Jones's lawyers successfully argued that he was entitled to $9.4 million in unpaid royalties from Jackson, but he lost the appeal in 2020 and was required to return $6.8 million.
Following the success of The Color Purple in 1985, he established Quincy Jones Entertainment, a film and television production company, in 1990. His most notable success in television was the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which aired for 148 episodes and helped kickstart Will Smith's career. Other productions included the LL Cool J sitcom In the House and the enduring sketch comedy series MadTV.
He founded Qwest Broadcasting, a media firm, and in 1993, he launched Vibe, a magazine focusing on Black music, in collaboration with Time Inc. Over the course of his career, he backed a variety of charities and initiatives, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Jazz Foundation of America. He also guided and mentored emerging artists, including British Grammy winner Jacob Collier.
Jones' remarkable career almost ended on two occasions. In 1969, he narrowly escaped death at the hands of Charles Manson's followers, as he had intended to visit Sharon Tate's home on the night of the infamous murders but forgot about the meeting. Additionally, in 1974, he suffered a brain aneurysm that made it risky for him to play the trumpet again, as the strain could lead to more serious damage.
Jones went through three marriages. His first was with his high school sweetheart, Jeri Caldwell, which lasted for nine years before ending in 1966; they had a daughter named Jolie together. In 1967, he tied the knot with Ulla Andersson, with whom he had a son and a daughter. However, they divorced in 1974, and shortly after, he married actress Peggy Lipton, known for her roles in The Mod Squad and Twin Peaks. They had two daughters, one of whom is the actress Rashida Jones, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1989. Additionally, he had two more children: a daughter named Rachel with dancer Carol Reynolds and another daughter named Kenya with actress Nastassja Kinski.
He didn't take another wife, but he was seen with several younger women over the years. His relationship with 19-year-old Egyptian designer Heba Elawadi at the age of 73 raised quite a few eyebrows. He has also mentioned that he dated Ivanka Trump and Juliette Gréco. He leaves behind seven children.
Several other artists expressed their admiration as well. LL Cool J shared: “You were like a father and a guiding light when I really needed both. You were a mentor and a role model, a true king. You provided me with opportunities and imparted your knowledge. Music wouldn’t be the same without you.” Femi Koleoso, the leader of the Mercury Prize-winning jazz group Ezra Collective, described Jones as a “remarkable musician and a wonderful person.”
