Quincy Jones, producer of Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, dies at the age of 91

Famous American musician and producer Quincy Jones, who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and many others, died at the age of 91.

Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, said he “passed away peacefully” Sunday night at his home in Bel Air.

“Tonight, it is with full but broken hearts that we share the news of the passing of our father and brother, Quincy Jones. While this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the wonderful life he lived and know there will never be another like him,” the family said in a statement.

Jones was known as the producer of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album.

During his career spanning over 75 years, he won 28 Grammy Awards and was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time magazine.

He worked closely with Sinatra, reworking the singer’s classic song Fly Me To The Moon, transforming it from waltz to swing.

For the film The Wiz, Jones found himself working with a 19-year-old Michael Jackson. He produced Jackson’s album Off the Wall and the pop star’s follow-ups Thriller and Bad, which sold 34 million copies in the US alone.

In 1985, Jones brought together 46 of America’s most popular singers at 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 of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas.

The hit reached number one in the UK and US and was performed at Live Aid.

Jones has also composed music for more than 50 films and TV programmes, including the 1969 British film The Italian Job.

Michael Caine, who starred in The Italian Job Tribute to Jones paid in Xcalling him “the titan of the music world.”

“He was a wonderful and unique person, and I am lucky to have known him.”

Sir Elton John also praised Jones and said, “No one had a career as incredible as his,” and wrote: “He played with the best and produced the best. What a man he was. I loved him.”

TV producer Shonda Rhimes called him “a legend, a visionary, a pioneer”.

“Quincy is the reason I decided to become a record producer,” Dr Dre shared on Insta. He added that “the time he spent hanging out with her was priceless.”

On the big screen, Jones produced the film The Color Purple, which introduced the public to two then-unknown artists: Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg.

Posting a tribute on Instagram, Goldberg said he was “one of a kind.”

On the small screen, he was one of the producers of the popular TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

But it was in the music that Jones excelled; In addition to winning numerous Grammys, including the legendary award in 1992, he was also recognized with Emmy, Tony and Oscar awards.

Jones was married three times and had seven children, including music producer Quincy Jones III and actress Rashida Jones, best known for the US version of The Office.

Jones’ family said the music producer was “truly one of a kind” and that “through his music and boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat forever.”

One of the first to pay tribute was a playwright on X by Jeremy O’Harris He stated that Jones’ “contributions to American culture are limitless” and noted that among his other achievements, he was the first black person to be nominated for an Oscar for best score.

Rapper LL Cool J, who briefly dated Jones’ daughter Kidada Jones, he said on Instagram That Jones was “a father and an example at a time when I really needed a father.”

He added: “Mentor. Role model. King. You gave me opportunities and shared wisdom. Without you, music would not be music.”

Singer Victoria Monet Jones’ “legacy will live on forever,” the musician said Nile Rodgers posted on X: “Stay in power”.

Ice T also paid tribute and wrote: “Genius is a definition commonly used but rarely deserved. Point blank, Quincy was THE MAN. I won my first Grammy with Quincy and I live by his Wisdom every day.”

Singer Darius Rucker said British DJ: “We have lost one of the greatest of all time” Tony Blackburn wrote In X, Jones was said to be a “musical genius”.

Montreux Jazz Festival CEO Mathieu Jaton, who worked with Quincy for many years, said Jones’ spirit will “forever echo” with the festival’s history.

He added that Jones “helped take the festival to new heights” as co-producer in the 1990s.