Iconic Music Legend From The ’70s Dies At 91

Legendary music artist Quincy Jones, who worked with Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and dozens of other industry legends, passed away on Sunday night at the age of 91.

Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, announced that the 28-time Grammy winner was surrounded by family and friends when he passed away at his Los Angeles home. “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” Robinson 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.”

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Jones in his studio on August 10, 1980

Throughout his legendary career in the music industry, Jones was known as one of the most wide-ranging artists of his generation. He produced Michael Jackson’s iconic “Thriller” album in 1982, wrote several award-winning film and television scores, and collaborated with some of the most commercially successful artists of all time, including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald.

With 28 Grammy awards to his name, Jones is the third-most decorated musician of all time. Much like his music career, Jones’ Grammy trophy case is multifaceted, as he won awards for best album, music video, record, pop performance, rap duo, children’s album, and more.

In 1990, he founded the Quincy Jones Entertainment company, a television and film outfit. He went on to produce “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” one of the hit shows of the decade that launched the career of Will Smith. Jones’s company was also responsible for hits like the LL Cool J sitcom “In the House” and the sketch comedy series “Mad TV.”

He also produced the score for “Roots” and “In The Heat Of The Night.”

Jones rose to become one of the first black executives in Hollywood after a humble upbringing on the South Side of Chicago. At just 14 years old, he performed in a band with Ray Charles, who was 16 at the time. The two rose to prominence in the Seattle music scene, where they performed at various clubs.

He eventually studied music at Seattle University before transferring to continue his work on the East Coast, this time in Boston. Jones eventually moved to New York City, where he reunited with his old bandmates after being hired by Lionel Hampton.

During his time in the Big Apple, a young Quincy Jones played trumpet in Elvis Presley’s band, which led him to meet stars like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

Jones’ music career was so prolific that it reached beyond Earth. Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon on the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969, told him that he played Frank Sinatra’s 1964 Jones-produced recording of “Fly Me to the Moon” before his iconic moonwalk.

He also organized the score for President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993.

Jones poses with Apollo 11 astronauts

In addition to his 28 Grammy awards, he received two Academy Awards, as well as an Emmy for his work on “Roots.”

Tributes to Jones poured in from legends across the entertainment industry in the aftermath of his passing. “My Celestial twin Quincy was a titan in the musical world. He was a wonderful and unique human being, lucky to have known him,” Academy Award-winning actor Michael Caine wrote in an X post.

“We have lost one of the all-time greats. The world will miss Quincy Jones. Rest my friend,” said award-winning rock and country artist Darius Rucker.

Jones is survived by his seven children, including “The Office” and “Parks And Recreation” star Rashida Jones.

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