When Quincy Jones suffered a brain aneurysm in 1974, his survival chances were considered so slim that his famous friends began planning a tribute concert. The legendary musician ultimately passed away fifty years later, at age 91, on November 3, 2024.
One of the 20th century’s most influential producers, he collaborated with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, and Ray Charles. Over his 75-year career, he won 28 Grammy Awards, and Time magazine called him one of the century’s most influential jazz musicians. Jones held such an esteemed position in the entertainment industry that he was known simply by a single initial: “Q.”
Born as Quincy Delight Jones Jr. in Chicago, he mastered the trumpet, his primary instrument, as a young boy. At 14, he met Ray Charles, who was 17 at the time. By 18, he was studying at Boston’s Berklee School of Music and touring with Lionel Hampton’s big band, playing in a trumpet section that included Art Farmer and Clifford Brown. In the early 1950s, he wrote songs for artists like trumpeter Clark Terry, Count Basie, and Dinah Washington. In 1959–60, he arranged two of Ray Charles’ best albums, The Genius of Ray Charles and Genius + Soul Jazz. His first Grammy came in 1964 for his rendition of I Can’t Stop Loving You, a reworking of Don Gibson’s country melody.
In the mid-60s, Jones formed a working relationship with Frank Sinatra, arranging two albums with the singer performing alongside Count Basie’s orchestra, It Might as Well Be Swing (1964) and the live Sinatra at the Sands (1966). He transformed the classic Fly Me To The Moon from a waltz to a swing arrangement. However, he’s likely best known for his producing partnership with Michael Jackson, which began in 1979 with Jackson’s breakthrough solo album, Off the Wall, estimated to have sold 20 million copies globally. This was followed by hits like Thriller (1982)—which sold 34 million copies in the U.S. alone and 110 million worldwide—and Bad (1987). In 1985, Jones brought together 46 of America’s top singers, including Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, and Cyndi Lauper, to record We Are the World, a song aimed at easing African famine, co-written by Jackson and Lionel Richie. The hit topped the charts in both the U.K. and the U.S. and was performed at the iconic Live Aid concert. His 1990 album Back on the Block earned him six Grammys, and he was named Producer of the Year three times.
In 2001, Jones received the Kennedy Center Honors, and in 2011, President Obama awarded him the National Medal of the Arts. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. His autobiography Q was published in 2001, and the audiobook won a Grammy in 2002 for Best Spoken Word Album.
Recently, many celebrities have paid tribute to the legend. Alongside his music career, Jones composed soundtracks for over 50 films and TV shows, including the score for the 1969 British film The Italian Job. Michael Caine, who starred in The Italian Job, called him “a titan of the music world,” adding, “He was an incredible and unique human being, and I was lucky to know him.” Sir Elton John wrote, “No one had a career like his: he played with the best and produced the best. What a guy. I loved him.” Dr. Dre posted on Instagram, “Quincy is the reason I decided to become a record producer,” adding that the time spent with him was “invaluable.”