Quincy Jones – legendary musician and record producer – dies, aged 91
Jones worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson.
Quincy Jones, the musician and producer known for his work with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, has died at the age of 91.
The news came via Jones's publicist Arnold Robinson, who released a statement on behalf of Jones's family.
It said: "Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’s 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 was born in 1933, and went on to study at what is now Berklee College of Music in Boston, before leaving to take up an offer to tour as a trumpeter.
This started his professional music career, which spanned more than 75 years.
Among his notable achievements, he produced Michael Jackson's albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, while he also worked with Frank Sinatra, and reworked his classic song Fly Me to the Moon.
He was also notable for bringing together 46 of America's most popular singers in 1985 to record charity single We Are the World, including Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper.
Jones was also known for his work in film and TV, producing films such as The Color Purple and shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, as well as composing the soundtrack to movies such as 1969's The Italian Job.
Across his career, he won 28 Grammys, and Time magazine once named him as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.
Jones was married three times - first to Jeri Caldwell, then to Ulla Andersson, then to Peggy Lipton. Jones and Lipton divorced in 1990.
He had seven children, including music producer Quincy Jones III and actress Rashida Jones.
Among those paying tribute to Jones was jazz critic and author Ted Gioia, who wrote in a post on Twitter, which has been rebranded as X: "RIP Quincy Jones, who leaves us at age 91.
"No musician of his generation moved so effortlessly and brilliantly between styles and settings — collaborating with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson to Miles Davis. What a remarkable career!"
Meanwhile, another tribute from music producer Alex Medina said: "Rest in peace and power, Quincy Jones. Musical genius. Icon. Few have shaped the course of music and culture across generations the way he did."
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.