Quincy Jones, music legend behind Sinatra-Jackson's hits, dies at 91
Quincy Jones, the musical giant whose seven-decade career spanned many creative roles—musician, songwriter, producer, conductor, arranger, artist, record label owner, and executive—has passed away. He was 91. The 28-time Grammy Award winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer died on Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles surrounded by his family, according to Jones's publicist Arnold Robinson on Monday (local time). May he rest in peace.
'There will never be another like him'
"Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones's 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." His seven children, including actor Rashida Jones, are among the survivors.
Jones's early life and musical journey
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago to Quincy Delight Jones Sr. and Sarah Frances Jones. As a teenager, he sparked his love for music by studying composition and learning the trumpet at Seattle's Garfield High School. At Seattle University, Jones played in the college band and continued studying music before transferring to Boston's Berklee College of Music on a scholarship.
Jones's monumental career and notable collaborations
In a monumental career spanning 70 years, Jones worked with a host of musical luminaries, from mentors Count Basie and Clark Terry to Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson. Among his storied accomplishments, Jones produced Jackson's best-selling albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad; acquired the rights to the novel The Color Purple and cast a young Oprah Winfrey in Steven Spielberg's 1985 Oscar-nominated film adaptation.
Jones's groundbreaking achievements in music and film
Jones shattered the color barrier as the first Black composer to get credit for his film work. The first theatrical feature Jones scored was Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker in 1964. With Lumet's backing and other industry friends like Henry Mancini and Sidney Poitier, Jones scored two landmark films in 1967: Best Picture Oscar winner In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood, adapted from Truman Capote's bestseller.
Jones's television contributions and personal resilience
Segueing into television, Jones penned the unforgettable theme songs for such series as The Bill Cosby Show, Ironside, and Sanford and Son. He also executive produced The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, featuring rapper and fledgling actor Will Smith. Jones displayed tremendous grit in personal life, too, as he reportedly survived two brain aneurysms. After the first, he wrote in his 2008 book, "It didn't look like I'd make it, so my friends planned a memorial service...They had the concert anyway."
