Quincy Jones, Hitmaking Producer and Music Industry Powerhouse, Dies Aged 91

Quincy Jones, hitmaking producer and entertainment titan, has died aged 91. The titan of American entertainment had the chance to work with top stars in the industry from Michael Jackson to Will Smith and Frank Sinatra. His death was made public by his publicist, Arnold Robinson, who said Jones died as this home in Bel Air, California, surrounded by his family, including his children and siblings.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jjones’ 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 statement added.

Most people regarded Quincy Jones as the most versatile pop cultural figure of the 20^th century, perhaps best known for producing the albums Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad for Michael Jackson in the 1980s. Of course, these albums made Michael Jackson the biggest pop star of all time. Quincy has also worked with Arethra Franklin, Sinatra, Donna Summer, and many other big names in the industry.

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Quincy Jones is widely known for successfully composing dozens of film scores, and had numerous chart hits under his own name. He also served as a bandleader in big band jazz, an arranger for jazz stars, including Count Bais, and a multi-instrumentalists, most proficiently on piano and trumpet.

Quincy Jones founded his TV and film production company in 1990, which went to have major success with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Color Purple, and other shows. He went on to launch Qwest TV in 2017, and on-demand music TV service. Jones is third only to Beyonce and Jay-z for having the most Grammy award nominations of all time- 80 to their 88 each.

Jones’ circle of friends included some of the best-known figures of the 20^th century. He met with Pope John Paul II, dined with Pablo Picasso, helped Nelson Mandela celebrate his 90^th birthday and once retreated to Marlon Brando’s South Pacific Island to recover from a breakdown.

Quincy Jones was married three times. His first wife was high school sweetheart  Jeri Caldwell with whom he had one daughter, his second wife was Swedish model Ulla Andersson with whom he had two children, and his third wife was ‘Mod Squad’ actress Peggy Lipton, with whom he had two daughters. He had two other children outside his marriages, including one with actress Nastassja Kinski.