Quincy Jones, Legendary Music Producer and Entertainment Icon, Dead at 91

Quincy Jones, a titan of the entertainment industry and applauded record producer, has died. He was 91 years old.

Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, told The Associated Press that he died on Sunday, Nov. 3, at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles while surrounded by his family.

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“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “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 late icon was born in Chicago in 1933 and earned a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston but ultimately dropped out to tour as a musician and arranger with jazz musician Lionel Hampton in 1953.

A few years later, he found himself working in an executive position at Mercury Records and recording with artists like Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dinah Washington, LaVern Baker, and Big Maybelle, but that was only the start of his decades-long career. He eventually accumulated a massive catalog of music—and 80 Grammy nominations (28 of which he took home)—featuring some of the biggest names Hollywood has ever seen: Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Richie, Tony Bennett, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifah, and countless others.

Jones’ impact reaches far beyond the music industry, as he earned nearly a dozen Oscar nods throughout his career and further built his legacy with contributions to several Hollywood theme songs and titles including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air starring Will Smith. In addition to composing the now-famous theme song “Yo Home to Bel Air,” he’s credited as an executive producer on the beloved series.

He also scored several Blockbuster films, including In Cold Blood (1967), In The Heat Of The Night (1967), E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982), and The Color Purple (1985).

Outside of his professional life, he was a doting father to the seven children—Jolie, Rachel, Martina, Quincy III, Kidada, Rashida, and Kenya—he shared with ex-wives Jeri Caldwell (m. 1957 to 1966), Ulla Andersson (m. 1967 to 1974) and the late Peggy Lipton (m. 1974 to 1990).

Shortly before his passing, Jones shared one final Instagram post celebrating his daughter Martina on her birthday, writing, “Happy Birthday to my Tina Beena @martinafotos1!! 🎉. So proud to be yo papa! Big hug, I love you eternally 🫶🏾💜.”

No other information about Jones’ cause of death or plans for a public memorial were immediately available.

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