Quincy Jones, an iconic producer known for his work with Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra, passed away on Sunday (Nov.3) at the age of 91.
According to his publicist, Arnold Robinson, he passed away at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, surrounded by family. “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” his family said in a statement. “Though our loss is tremendous, we celebrate the extraordinary life he led. There will never be another like him.”
Jones’s rise from a tough Chicago neighborhood to Hollywood’s upper echelon was as pioneering as it was prolific. He became one of the first Black executives in the entertainment industry, contributing to an unmatched catalog that spanned genres and generations.
For decades, his name appeared on countless records, from jazz to pop to hip-hop, solidifying his place in the cultural landscape. Jones mingled with presidents, foreign dignitaries, and luminaries across entertainment and philanthropy.
He worked alongside Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, arranged for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, scored groundbreaking soundtracks for Roots and In the Heat of the Night, and orchestrated President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural gala. His 1985 all-star recording “We Are the World” raised millions for African famine relief and became a defining anthem of humanitarian efforts in music.
Jones’s most enduring influence came through his work with Michael Jackson on Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Together, they crafted a sound that revolutionized pop music, blending disco, funk, rock, R&B, and jazz into tracks like “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” Jones brought in Eddie Van Halen’s electrifying guitar for “Beat It” and added Vincent Price’s unforgettable voiceover to “Thriller.” Selling over 20 million copies in 1983 alone, Thriller remains one of the best-selling albums in history, rivaled only by The Eagles’ Greatest Hits.
Jones was a versatile collaborator, lending his talents to jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington, hip-hop icons Snoop Dogg and LL Cool J, and classic vocalists like Sinatra and Tony Bennett. On We Are the World, Jones united artists like Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen to create a powerful message of solidarity. His productions for Jackson, including “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” and Donna Summer’s “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger),” reached iconic status, while his compositions for television series like Sanford and Son became cultural touchstones.
Jones’s dedication to philanthropy grew following Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in 1968, where he befriended Jesse Jackson. In later years, he founded the Quincy Jones Listen Up! Foundation, promoting education and cultural exchange for youth. He saw fame as “a platform to help others” and remained committed to causes like HIV/AIDS education and poverty relief worldwide. Driven by an adventurous spirit and “a criminal level of optimism,” Jones remarked in his memoir, “Life is a dream, but mine’s been in Technicolor, with full Dolby sound long before they knew these systems.”
Quincy Jones leaves behind an indelible legacy that redefined American music and culture. His life, like his music, remains timeless.
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