Quincy Jones, the legendary songwriter, composer, and the man behind many of the soundtracks to our lives, has died.
Jones died Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, Calif., according to a statement shared with Variety by his rep Arnold Robinson. A cause of death was not disclosed.
“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,” the Jones family said in the statement. “He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”
To many, he is probably best known for his production collaborations with Michael Jackson, which began in 1979 with the singer’s breakthrough solo album “Off the Wall,” which has sold an estimated 20 million copies internationally.
Its chart-topping sequel “Thriller” (1982) — for which Jones took album of the year honors, plus a record of the year trophy for the track “Billie Jean” — remains the bestselling album of all time, with worldwide sales estimated in excess of 110 million. Jones went on to work with Jackson on his No. 1 1987 release “Bad.”
He made his mark on TV as executive producer of the ’90s NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which brought rapper Will “Fresh Prince” Smith to prominence as an actor. In addition to the 2022 reboot of “Bel-Air,” he later exec produced the comedy skeins “In the House” and “MadTV”; the 10-hour 1995 documentary “The History of Rock ‘N’ Roll”; the 2014 documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On”; and the 2023 adaptation of “The Color Purple” directed by Blitz Bazawule.
Jones collected six of his 28 Grammy Awards for his 1990 album “Back on the Block” and was a three-time Producer of the Year honoree.
He also founded the respected hip-hop magazine Vibe, which spawned a TV spinoff in 1997, and spawned the careers of many artists including Tamia, Tevin Campbell, and many more.
Most recently, the icon released his very own documentary ‘Quincy’ via Netflix.
RIP Quincy Jones.
