Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer, composer and arranger, died on November 3, 2024, at his home in Bel Air at age 91, according to his publicist. His career spanned more than seven decades and helped shape jazz, pop, R&B and film music.
Born on March 14, 1933, in Chicago and raised in Seattle, Jones began playing trumpet as a teenager and later studied with Clark Terry. He joined Lionel Hampton’s band at 19 and went on to arrange music for artists including Dizzy Gillespie and Dinah Washington.
In 1957, Jones moved to Paris to study composition with Nadia Boulanger. He returned to the United States in 1961 and became the first Black vice president at Mercury Records.
Jones expanded into pop production in the 1960s. He produced Lesley Gore’s hit “It’s My Party” in 1963 and later worked on “You Don’t Own Me.” He also composed television themes, including “The Streetbeater” for Sanford and Son.
His film work included scores for The Pawnbroker (1964) and In the Heat of the Night (1967). In 1985, he produced The Color Purple, which received 11 Academy Award nominations.
Jones was also executive producer of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the 1990s. He helped bring Will Smith into mainstream television and broadened the reach of hip-hop culture.
He is best known for producing Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987). Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time. Jones also helped shape the album’s sound and supported the rise of music videos as a major part of pop culture.
In 1985, he co-produced “We Are the World,” which brought together artists including Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The project raised more than $60 million.
Jones received 28 Grammy Awards from 80 nominations, along with two Emmy Awards, a Tony Award for The Color Purple revival and seven Academy Award nominations. He also received the National Medal of the Arts in 2011, Kennedy Center Honors and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Jones once said, “Music is the only language that cannot lie.” His influence continues to shape modern music and inspire artists across generations.
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