Quincy Jones, the music titan responsible for producing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album, passed away yesterday at 91.
Jones was a prolific musician, who created an incredible catalog of music and worked with Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, and hundreds of others. Jones’ publicist said he died peacefully, surrounded by family, in his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Quincy Jones dies
In a statement issued on November 3, his family said, “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.”
Quincy Jones’ incredible career
Quincy Jones went from being a kid who got up to no good to running around with the gangs of Southside Chicago before eventually becoming one of the most successful musicians and music executives ever to live.
Fresh out of high school, Jones toured with big jazz names, including Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie. He arranged albums for Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra and organized Bill Clinton’s inauguration celebration. Lionel Richie called him “the master orchestrator” of the “We Are The World” record for famine relief in Africa.
After his post-high school tour, Jones was left broke. He repaid his debts by working at Mercury Records, where he would eventually become the label’s vice president.
Jones broke color boundaries in Hollywood. Producers were shocked to find out Jones was black after hiring him in 1965 for Gregory Peck’s film Mirage. Despite this adversity, in 1968, he secured Oscar nominations for Best Original Song and Best Original Film Score. He became the first black musical director of the Academy Awards in 1971 and became its executive producer in 1996.
Jones suffered two brain aneurysms in 1974 that nearly killed him. However, he overcame this illness and continued to make music. He produced the score for the “The Bill Cosby Show” as well as the mini-series “Roots” in 1977, for which he won an Emmy.
While developing the score for the the movie “The Wiz,” Jones had a chance encounter with Michael Jackson that would turn into one of the most critical moments of his career. He went on to work with the legendary King of Pop to produce his albums “Off the Wall.” He also produced Jackson’s “Thriller,” which sold more than 120 million copies worldwide.
Jones was married three times and left behind seven children, including Rashida Jones, who is known for her work in “The Office” and for producing a Netflix documentary about her father, “Quincy.”
