Legendary Producer Quincy Jones Dies at 91

Quincy Jones, one of the most impactful producers of music in history, died Sunday at 91, THR reports.

His publicist Arnold Robinson told the outlet that the multi-talented Jones “passed away peacefully” at his Bel-Air home, surrounded by his loved ones.

The family said in a statement, "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 earned 80 Grammy nominations and won 28 during a career that spanned 70 years, becoming a Grammy Legend in 1991. Among his greatest achievements: he produced Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, as well as the iconic charity single "We Are the World."

His creativity and embrace of risk led him to conquer other areas as well — he scored the film "In the Heat of the Night," was a producer of both movie versions of "The Color Purple," and produced the Will Smith sitcom "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

Quincy Jones was born March 14, 1933, in Chicago, later growing up in Seattle. Having immersed himself in the music scene — including meeting Ray Charles when both were teens — he first made a name for himself as a jazz artist, working on collaborations between Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. He arranged for everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Gene Krupa to Sarah Vaughan as a young man, producing hit records for Charles, Little Richard, Dizzy Gillespie and many other greats.

During this period, he worked at the early television series "Stage Show, and in 1956 played trumpet in the band supporting Elvis Presley for the King of Rock 'n' Roll's first-ever TV appearances.

After studying music and working in France, he made the choice to focus on his talents as a producer and arranger rather than starve as part of a jazz band. Soon after, he was the first Black VP of Mercury Records.

Jones — who received the Oscars' Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995 and would have received an honorary Oscar later this month — began a long association with film when he composed music for the 1964 drama "The Pawnbroker." In spite of an atmosphere he described as "very, very racist," he was so in demand he scored Cary Grant's last movie, "Walk, Don't Run" (1966); "In Cold Blood" (1967); "In the Heat of the Night" (1967); "The Italian Job" (1969); "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (1969); "Cactus Flower" (1969); "The Out-of-Towners" (1970); and "The Getaway" (1972). He would compose the music for some 40 films in all.

He later produced films, starting with 1985's "The Color Purple," for which he was Oscar-nominated. The Oscar ceremony was just another space in which Jones felt right at home, having been the show's first Black musical director in 1971. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as having the most Oscar nominations — seven — of any Black person.

But it was music where Jones was a true prodigy.

After his early work in jazz, Jones had adroitly segued into producing pop, including four mega-hits for Lesley Gore in 1963 — "It's My Party," "Judy's Turn to Cry," "She's a Fool," and "You Don't Own Me," each of them a million-selling single.

In 1975, he produced the soundtrack for "The Wiz," starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. His warm relationship with Jackson led to the production of his phenomenally successful "Off the Wall" album in 1979. In 1982, he re-teamed with Jackson for the recording of the most important pop album in music history, "Thriller," a collaboration that established Jackson as the King of Pop.

He further worked with Jackson on "We Are the World," the all-star single released in 1985 to help ease famine in Africa. The song was a no. 1 smash and media sensation.

He went on to produce Jackson's 1987 smash album "Bad."

Throughout all of his career, Jones continued to make his own music while making it for others. He released 40 albums, including the Top 10 hits "Body Heat" (1974), "The Dude" (1981), and "Back on the Block" (1989). Among his 20 singles, he enjoyed Top 20 hits with "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways" (1981), both featuring the vocals of James Ingram.

In the field of television, along with "Fresh Prince," Jones was responsible for the talk show "The Jenny Jones Show" in the '90s, UPN's "In the House" (1995-1999), and the FOX sketch-comedy hit "MADtv" (1995-2009). Early on, he had composed some memorable TV theme songs, including for "Sanford and Son" (1972-1978).

His QDE was the publisher behind Vibe and Spin.

Among his many other distinctions, Jones was a tireless social activist from the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. He was a booster of organizations as diverse as the Rev. Jesse Jackson's P.U.S.H. movement, NAACP, GLAAD, and amfAR, and was a high-level Democratic donor. His Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation builds housing in Africa, and has a special emphasis on music.

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

In recent years, Jones made waves for his abilities as a no-holds-barred story teller. In 2018, he casually let slip that Marlon Brando had bedded James Baldwin, Richard Pryor and Marvin Gaye. That same year, he said he used to date Ivanka Trump, who is nearly 50 years his junior, though he later apologized and chalked up the confession to "word vomit."

Married and divorced three times, including to the late "Mod Squad" star Peggy Lipton, Quincy is survived by his children, actresses Rashida Jones, Kidada Jones and Jolie Jones Levine; producer Quincy Jones III; models Kenya Kinski-Jones and Martina Jones; and veterinarian Rachel Jones.

His final Instagram post this weekend was a birthday wish to Martina, in which he wrote, "Happy Birthday to my Tina Beena @martinafotos1!! 🎉. So proud to be yo papa! Big hug, I love you eternally 🫶🏾💜."