Quincy Jones, the legendary musician and producer who amassed 28 competitive Grammys over his staggering career, has passed away. He was 91.
With collaborations with the likes of Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and countless others, it’s hard to put into words just what sort of legacy Quincy Jones left behind. Working consistently since the 1950s, Jones made his mark almost immediately on the music world, getting his start in Chicago before tagging along for a European tour where he could showcase his jazz talents.
But it was the 1960s when Quincy Jones truly emerged as an artist, not only producing Sinatra’s classic It Might as Well Be Swing album, but lending to film soundtracks as well. His breakout on that front was for Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker, but it would be for In Cold Blood that Jones earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. He would be nominated in that category and Best Original Song a total of six times, even nabbing a Best Picture nod for producing The Color Purple. While he did not win any competitive Oscars, Quincy Jones was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995. He, too, notably did the title song for Sanford and Son.
Quincy Jones would hit a much younger audience when he teamed with Michael Jackson, producing 1979’s Off the Wall, 1982’s Thriller (the best-selling album ever) and 1987’s Bad – we’re talking “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, Man in the Mirror”, and so many more. The ‘80s also found Quincy Jones leading “We Are the World”, the iconic charity song that featured a who’s who of legendary singers.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the family wrote, “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. 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.”
In addition to his 28 Grammys – the most recent of which was in 2019 – and Oscar, Quincy Jones also nabbed a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical (The Color Purple) and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Roots).
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