Seun Emmanuel
A renowned US record and TV producer Quincy Delight Jones, whose career spanned over 70 years, has passed away at the age of 91.
This was confirmed by Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, he revealed that Jones died on Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, surrounded by family.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family stated.
“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.”
Jones collaborated with numerous iconic figures in the entertainment industry, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Will Smith.
He is best known for producing Jackson’s groundbreaking ‘Thriller’ album, which sold over 20 million copies in 1983 alone and remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.
As a music composer and songwriter, he also oversaw the all-star recording of the 1985 charity single ‘We Are The World.’
In 1968, Jones made history as the first African American nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘The Eyes of Love’ from the film ‘Banning.’
In 1971, he became the first African American to serve as the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards, and in 1995, he received the academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, becoming the first African American to do so.
Jones won 28 Grammy Awards out of 80 nominations and was recognized by Time magazine as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.
