Quincy Jones, 28-Time Grammy Winner and All-Around Legend, Dead at 91

Quincy Jones, whose extensive catalog of classics more than speaks for itself, is dead.

In a statement, per a report from the Associated Press, a rep confirmed that Jones died at his Bel Air home on Sunday while surrounded by family. He was 91.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” a statement from the family reads. “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 March, Jones, whose extensive production discography boasts multiple still-studied albums with Michael Jackson, reflected on turning 91 while pointing out that he once considered the milestone out of reach.

“This life that I’ve been blessed to live is not one that I take for granted,” Jones wrote on Instagram at the time. “As a little Black boy growing up in the South Side of Chicago, making it to 91 wasn’t even a dream because it never seemed possible. But as I stand before you today, I am grateful for every person who lent me a shoulder to stand on…From Count Basie to Nadia Boulanger to Joseph Powe to all of the individuals who told me I was worth another day.

Jones continued, “To all-a-y’awl out there, never underestimate the positive impact that you can have on a kid’s life because it may just be the difference between them making it to 19 or 91. Thank you all for the beautiful birthday wishes and I pray that I can continue to pass down what the greats have given to me.”

In the 1950s, Jones began assembling the foundation for what would become a lifelong career spanning not only genre but medium, as the limitlessly gifted musician would later expand his artistic arsenal into film and TV (including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). In that decade, he released multiple albums, This Is How I Feel About Jazz and The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones among them. By 1961, Jones had made history with his appointment to VP of Mercury.

“After five years of working at Mercury Records as the first African American Vice President of a major record label, they offered me a $1 million lifetime contract,” Jones said in 2019 when looking back at his time at Mercury, noting that he ultimately made the decision to “quit and go in a different direction.” This led him to California, where he pursued, and indeed achieved greatness, in film scoring.

After first connecting on The Wiz one year earlier, Jones and the King of Pop made their first album together, Off the Wall, in 1979. The album stands as an artistic turning point in MJ’s career, as well as one of several long-revered classics in the production catalog of Jones, who was integral to its forward-thinking approach. To this day, the album is widely considered undeniably influential on pop at large.

Thriller and Bad followed in 1982 and 1987, respectively, with the former still standing tall as the best-selling album in history. Jones also worked as a conductor and arranger on several Frank Sinatra albums, as well as produced for an extensive list of additional artists spanning several different eras. Among them: Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Lesley Gore, James Ingram, and Donny Hathaway. He and MJ's collaborative history together also counts the star-stacked 1985 charity single “We Are the World” among its ranks.

Over the course of his career, Jones amassed 28 Grammy wins, most recently for the Harry Styles album Harry’s House due to a sample of his “Ain’t We Funkin’ Now.” Jones was also nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Original Song and Best Original Score for Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of The Color Purple, a film he co-produced.

Of course, all of this merely scratches the surface of Jones' sustaining impact on music and beyond. He was a true icon of the art form, with the globally beloved work to back it up.

Rest in power.