Quincy Delight Jones Jr, an American record producer and songwriter, has passed away at the age of 91.
Jones, who was also a composer and producer of films and television shows, was well-known for his collaborations with artists like Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and the late Michael Jackson.
Arnold Robinson, his publicist, broke the devastating news of his passing, stating that he died on Sunday night at his Bel Air home.
He passed away with his family by his side, the statement said.
Incredible loss
The statement from his family reads: “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.”
Jones worked on Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller album, accumulated a vast musical catalogue, and became one of the first black executives to succeed in Hollywood.
He composed the Roots and In the Heat of the Night soundtracks and arranged records for artists like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
Over the course of his 70-year career, he received 28 Grammy Awards out of 80 nominations and was named a Grammy Legend in 1992.
Prior to working on pop music and movie soundtracks, Jones gained fame in the 1950s as a jazz conductor and arranger.
Academy Award
He moved easily between genres, producing pop hit records for Lesley Gore in the early 1960s, including It’s My Party, and serving as an arranger and conductor for several collaborations between the jazz artists Sinatra and Count Basie.
In 1968, he became the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for The Eyes of Love from the film Banning.
He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work on the 1967 film In Cold Blood, making him the first African American to be nominated twice in the same year.
In 1971, Jones became the first African American to be the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards.
He received the academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995, making him the first African American to do so.
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