Quincy Jones, US music legend who reshaped pop music, dies at 91
Quincy Jones, the man known simply as “Q” who worked with musicians ranging from Count Basie to Frank Sinatra and reshaped pop music with his collaborations with Michael Jackson, died on Sunday at age 91, his publicist said.
There was little Jones did not do in a music career of more than 65 years. He was a trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, composer, producer and winner of 28 Grammy Awards.
A studio workaholic and a virtuoso at handling delicate egos, he shaped recordings by jazz greats such as Miles Davis, produced Sinatra, and put together the superstar ensemble that recorded the 1985 fundraiser “We Are the World,” the biggest hit song of its time.
Jones also was a prolific writer of movie scores and co-produced the film “The Color Purple,” as well as the 1990s television show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” which launched the career of Will Smith. He had been scheduled to receive an honorary Oscar from Hollywood’s film academy this month.
Jones’ circle of friends included some of the best-known figures of the 20th century. He dined with Pablo Picasso, met Pope John Paul II, helped Nelson Mandela celebrate his 90th birthday and once retreated to Marlon Brando’s South Pacific island to recover from a breakdown.
Everything he did was stamped with his universal and undeniable hipness. U2 frontman Bono called Jones “the coolest person I’ve ever met”.
Jones’ most lasting achievements were in collaboration with Jackson. They made three landmark albums — “Off the Wall” in 1979, “Thriller” in 1982, and “Bad” in 1987 — that changed the landscape of American popular music. “Thriller” sold as many as 70 million copies, with six of the nine songs on the album becoming top 10 singles.
Divine collaboration
Hits like “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and the title song made “Thriller” the biggest selling album of all time. It won three Grammys for Jones and seven for Jackson.
They followed that in 1987 with “Bad,” which had five No. 1 hits, including “Smooth Criminal” and “Man in the Mirror.”
In 1985, Jones, Jackson and singer Lionel Richie organized “We Are the World,” a record to raise money for fighting famine in Ethiopia. The huge all-star chorus featured Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen and Smokey Robinson. Jones set the tone for the recording session with a sign that said: “Leave your ego at the door.”
Jackson died in 2009, and Jones later sued the estate, testifying that he was “cheated out of a lot of money” in royalties. In July 2017, a Los Angeles jury awarded Jones $9.4 million.
Jones started his own record label, Qwest, as well as Vibe, a magazine that covered the hip-hop world, and had various foundations and humanitarian projects. He kept launching new projects well past the traditional retirement age. In 2018, Jones, then 84, told GQ magazine: “I never been this busy in my life.”
Jones was married three times. His first wife was his 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, including Quincy III, who became a hip-hop producer.
His third wife was “Mod Squad” actress Peggy Lipton, with whom he had two daughters, including actress Rashida Jones. He had two other children outside his marriages, including one with actor Nastassja Kinski.
