Legendary producer, songwriter and musician Quincy Jones has died aged 91.
In a long and successful career over several decades, Jones worked with stars including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles.
Jones passed away peacefully on Sunday night (November 3) at his home in Bel Air, said his publicist Arnold Robinson.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”
"We join billions of music fans around the world, as we mourn the loss of the great Quincy Jones, and celebrate his immeasurable contributions to culture," said Warner Chappell Music co-chair & CEO Guy Moot and co-chair & COO Carianne Marshall in a statement. "Words like titan, genius, GOAT, will be used today and he deserves it all. Quincy was a producer, artist, composer, and activist, but above all, he was a songwriter. He leaves behind an extraordinarily powerful, diverse body of work that will light the way for future generations. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.”
Jones was best known as the producer of Jackson’s album Thriller, which sold 20 million copies in 1983 alone and competes for the honours as best-selling album of all time alongside records such as the Eagles’ Greatest Hits. He can be credited with overseeing Jackson’s ascent to become one of the biggest stars in the world (the “king of pop” even).
The pair formed a strong creative partnership in the studio, with Jones producing albums including Jackson’s solo breakthrough Off The Wall (1979), Thriller (1983) and Bad (1987). As a producer, he helped Jackson bring together the hugely successful stew of pop, R&B, funk, disco and rock – including recruiting Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on Beat It. He was also credited as co-writer on PYT (Pretty Young Thing), and also co-wrote, arranged and composed for artists including Donna Summer, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Peggy Lee and Andy Williams.
He leaves behind an extraordinarily powerful, diverse body of work that will light the way for future generations
Guy Moot & Carianne Marshall
“If an album doesn’t do well, everyone says ‘it was the producer’s fault’; so if it does well, it should be your ‘fault,’ too,” Jones said in an interview with the Library of Congress in 2016. “The tracks don’t just all of a sudden appear. The producer has to have the skill, experience and ability to guide the vision to completion.”
During a long and storied career, Jones won 28 Grammys and amassed 80 nominations. His Grammys haul included multiple wins in 1984 – Album Of The Year for Thriller, Record Of The Year for Beat It and Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical).
Jones worked across genres with artists including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Tony Bennett, Chaka Khan, Queen Latifah and Lesley Gore.
He was also at the heart of the 1985 charity record, We Are The World, as producer and conductor. Lionel Richie, who featured on the recording, described Jones as the “master orchestrator”.
As an executive, Jones broke down racial barriers in the US with his appointment as vice president at Mercury Records in the early 1960s. In 1971, he became the first Black musical director for the Academy Awards ceremony.
In 1990 he formed Quincy Jones Entertainment, in partnership with Time Warner. TV projects included The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, produced by Jones, who discovered Will Smith. The company was sold for $270 million in 1999.
Jones’ ventures also included Qwest Records and Qwest Music Publishing.
Jones published his autobiography, Q: The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones, which became a bestseller in 2001.
“My philosophy as a businessman has always come from the same roots as my personal credo: take talented people on their own terms and treat them fairly and with respect, no matter who they are or where they come from,” he wrote in the memoir.
As a jazz musician and composer, Jones was prolific and worked on soundtracks to more than 50 films and TV shows, including Roots, In The Heat Of The Night and the Oscar-nominated The Colour Purple, which he produced. He was recognised during his career with honorary Academy Awards. He also received France’s Legion d’Honneur.
Jones performed at London’s O2 Arena in 2018, alongside special guests for the show Quincy Jones: A Life In Song.
A documentary, Quincy, was released in 2018, co-written and co-directed by Alan Hicks and Jones’ daughter Rashida Jones. The film won a Grammy for Best Music Film the following year.
PHOTO: Quincy Jones, pictured in 2019 (Arnold Turner/Getty Images)
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