Legendary music producer Quincy Jones dead at 91
Quincy Jones, the iconic music producer who won 28 Grammy Awards over the course of his career, has died aged 91.
Jones’ death has been confirmed by his publicist, Arnold Robinson, who shared that he passed away surrounded by those closest to him on November 3rd in Los Angeles. At this stage, no cause of death has been stated.
In a statement, the Jones family shared: “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.”
Jones was born in Chicago in 1933 and spent the early years of his life in the Windy City. Notably, it was there that he began playing the piano at age seven, thanks to the goodwill of his next-door neighbour, which kickstarted a life-long love affair with the instrument.
Following the divorce of his parents, Jones moved with his father to Washington, which was when he began playing music more seriously. As a teenager, he performed in a variety of bands, including alongside Ray Charles when Jones was only 14.
Jones’ musical talent won him a scholarship to Seattle University and he also studied in Boston before taking the step up to tour as a musical director. His career got off to a rocky start following a nightmare run in Europe which left him with $100,000 debt, which led to him working at Mercury Records to pay off the money he owed.
During his time at Mercury, Jones established himself as a hit producer, working with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr and Ella Fitzgerald. Additionally, in 1958, Jones began producing for Frank Sinatra after conducting a concert for the crooner, which started a strong relationship that continued until Sinatra’s passing.
However, Jones’ most notable music partnership was alongside Michael Jackson which began in 1979 with Off The Wall. The producer played an instrumental role in Jackson becoming the world’s most famous artist, including on the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, which has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide. The duo teamed up again on Bad before parting ways.
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Although their careers splintered in two different directions, Jones said following Jackson’s death: “I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the ’80s.”
He continued: “To this day, the music we created together on Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world, and the reason for that is because he had it all … talent, grace, professionalism, and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer, and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
While speaking to the Library of Congress in 2016, Jones said of his role as Jackson’s producer: “If an album doesn’t do well, everyone says ‘it was the producer’s fault’. 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.”
Outside of music, Jones had a hand in the wider entertainment producer after forming Quincy Jones Entertainment in 1990, which made the hugely successful sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Jones also founded Qwest TV and Vibe Magazine.
In 1974, Jones survived a life-threatening brain aneurysm and, following two successful brain surgeries began to tour again. Although doctors warned him that he was unable to play the trumpet again, Jones ignored this advice and continued to play the instrument.
In addition to winning 28 Grammy Awards for his work as a producer, Jones was also the recipient of an Academy Award and an Emmy.
Jones is survived by his seven children from three different marriages, including the singer-songwriter Rashida Jones, who he shared with his second wife Peggy Linton.
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