Quincy Jones, who distinguished himself over the course of a 70-year career in music as an artist, bandleader, composer, arranger and producer, has died. He was 91.
Jones died Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, Calif., according to a statement shared with Variety by his rep Arnold Robinson. A cause of death was not disclosed.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. 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,” the Jones family said in the statement. “He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”
Jones’ eminence in the entertainment community was so great that he went by a one-letter handle: “Q.”
Bred in the world of jazz, Jones became one of pop music’s most formidable figures. He collected six of his 27 Grammy Awards for his 1990 album “Back on the Block” and was a three-time producer of the year honoree.
To many, he is probably best known for his production collaborations with Michael Jackson, which began in 1979 with the singer’s breakthrough solo album “Off the Wall,” which has sold an estimated 20 million copies internationally.
Its chart-topping sequel “Thriller” (1982) — for which Jones took album of the year honors, plus a record of the year trophy for the track “Billie Jean” — remains the bestselling album of all time, with worldwide sales estimated in excess of 110 million. Jones went on to work with Jackson on his No. 1 1987 release “Bad.”
In 1985, Jones made international headlines as the producer of USA for Africa’s “We Are the World,” the single devoted to African famine relief; Jackson co-authored the song with Lionel Richie and led its all-star cast of vocalists.
Jones was the first African-American to pen the score for a major motion picture, 1964’s “The Pawnbroker,” and went on to receive seven Oscar nominations for best original score and song. In 1995 he received AMPAS’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, another first for a black artist.
He made his mark on TV as executive producer of the ’90s NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which brought rapper Will “Fresh Prince” Smith to prominence as an actor. In addition to the 2022 reboot odf “Bel-Air,” he later exec produced the comedy skeins “In the House” and “MadTV”; the 10-hour 1995 documentary “The History of Rock ‘N’ Roll”; the 2014 documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On”; and the 2023 adaptation of “The Color Purple” directed by Blitz Bazawule.
(Excerpt) Read more in: Variety