DjQwequ Blog of Tuesday, 5 November 2024
Source: Emmanuel Jacob Amissah
At the age of 91, Quincy Jones, a musician and producer who collaborated with Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, and several other artists, passed away.
Arnold Robinson, Jones' spokesperson, reported that Jones "passed away peacefully" at his Bel Air residence on Sunday night.
"We must break the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones' passing tonight with hearts full yet broken. We honor the wonderful life he led and realize that no one will ever be like him, even though this is an amazing loss for our family," the family stated in a statement.
As the producer of Michael Jackson's Thriller album, Jones gained the most notoriety. He received 28 Grammys during his more than 75-year career, and Time magazine ranked him one of the most important jazz performers of the 20th century.
Early in his career, he collaborated closely with Frank Sinatra, transforming the crooner's beloved song Fly Me To The Moon from a waltz to a swing. Jones had to work with a 19-year-old Michael Jackson in the movie The Wiz. Jackson's album Off the Wall, which he later produced, sold 20 million copies. Additionally, he produced the pop star's sequels, Bad and Thriller.
In 1985, Jones gathered 46 of America's most popular singers of the time, including Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper to record We Are the World. Jones co-wrote the song to raise money for those suffering from a devastating famine in Ethiopia.
The record was the US equivalent to Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas. The hit reached number one in the UK and the US and was performed at Live Aid. Jones also wrote the music for over 50 movies and television shows, including the British film The Italian Job (1969). He produced the big-screen movie The Color Purple, which made Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg, two up-and-coming actors, famous to the general public.
He was one of the producers of the popular television program The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. However, Jones's forte was music; in addition to receiving numerous Grammys, including a 1992 Legend Award, he was also honored by the Oscars, Tony Awards, and Emmys.
Jones has three marriages and seven children, including actress Rashida Jones from The Office in the United States and music producer Quincy Jones III. Jones' family said the music producer was "truly one of a kind" and "through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones' heart will beat for eternity".
Leading tributes, playwright Jeremy O'Harris said on X that Jones' "contributions to American culture were limitless", noting he was the first black person nominated for an Oscar for best score among his other achievements.
Singer Darius Rucker said we had "lost of the all time greats", while British DJ Tony Blackburn wrote on X that Jones was a "musical genius".