Quincy Jones was a noted jazz musician, film composer, and one of the greatest music producers of the 20th century, working with Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), Dinah Washington (1924–1963), Michael Jackson (1958–2009), and other top musicians.
- Died: November 3, 2024 (Who else died on November 3?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer at the age of 91.
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Quincy Jones’ legacy
Most people know Jones’ artistry, even if they don’t realize it. He has produced some of the most popular music in history, including Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” albums, the charity single “We Are the World,” and many more noted records, and has earned a long list of awards for his work.
Jones was born in Chicago and raised primarily in Seattle. A trumpeter in his teens, he began playing regularly with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, and two years later, left for New York to create arrangements for bandleader Count Basie and others. Jones became musical director for jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, with whom he played, arranged, and toured Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Upon his return, he began working with a list of prominent artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, and many others – including Frank Sinatra, for whom he conducted Basie’s orchestra and arranged their musical teamings for decades.
Jones’ career took a turn in the 1960s, when he also began his decades of composing scores for films, beginning with director Sidney Lumet’s drama, “The Pawnbroker,” and including movies like “In the Heat of the Night,” “In Cold Blood,” “The Italian Job,” “They Call Me Mister Tibbs!” and many others. He discovered Lesley Gore (1946 – 2015), helping to turn the teenager into a star with “It’s My Party” in 1963. The following year, he became the first African-American to be named vice-president of a white-owned label, Mercury Records, where he’d served as musical director in its New York office. By the 1980s, Jones was one of the titans of the music industry, having producing albums for dozens of prominent artists.
Over the course of his career, Jones racked up 28 Grammy Awards out of 80 nominations overall, making him the third most honored person in the history of the award. His score for “In Cold Blood” also received an Academy Award nomination, as did songs from his compositions for “The Color Purple,” nominated for best original score and best original song Oscars. His music for television was also well known, such as his theme songs for “Sanford and Son,” “Ironside,” “Roots,” and “Mad TV.”
Jones is on the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, was honored with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Ahmet Ertegun Award and the National Medal of Arts, and is one of only 15 people to receive the Grammy Legends Award, among the many prizes given to him over the years. Jones was at one time married to actress Peggy Lipton (1946 – 2019); their two daughters, Rashida and Kidada, are both actresses. In addition to them, his survivors are his brother, two sisters, and five other children.
On working with Michael Jackson
“Michael asked me for suggestions on who might produce his first solo album. I didn’t know how intuitive he was; he knew everyone’s lines, dance steps, he didn’t miss a thing.” — Uncut interview, 2010
Tributes to Quincy Jones
Full obituary: The New York Times
