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Quincy Jones was once described by Barack Obama as ‘somebody who’s walked through that door before anybody else has’.
A truly pioneering producer and composer, the late legend’s list of collaborators is a testament to his longevity and mind for music and television.
There was also another side, with his controversial comments in interviews making headlines over the years, and leading to a 2018 apology when he described himself as an ‘imperfect person’.
Jones died aged 91 on Sunday surrounded by his family, after a life which saw him work with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles to Michael Jackson.
He discovered his love for music as a schoolboy, striking up a bond with fellow legend Ray Charles as they found their feet together.
‘Seeing Ray’s outlook made me realize that it’s only when we stop confining ourselves to the restrictions that categories place on our creativity, that we can fully unlock the power of music in its purest form,’ he once wrote.
Their friendship lit a fuse as Jones went onto change the music industry, producing huge hits for Jackson like Billie Jean, Thriller, and Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.
He worked with the likes of Sinatra, Donna Summer and Aretha Franklin, leaving his mark on the entire landscape, while also scoring dozens of films.
His impact can’t be understated, as he follows only Jay Z and Beyonce for the most Grammy Awards nominations of all time.
He was nominated 80 times with 28 wins, while the variety in his work is just as noteworthy as the individual quality.
As well as a skilled writer and producer – including composing scores for the likes of The Italian Job, In the Heat of the Night and The Color Purple, while he also produced the latter.
Through his TV and film production company, he also impacted an entire generation with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith and changed the sitcom game.
Later in life, he continued to innovate, and in 2017 he launched Qwest TV, his own on-demand music TV platform.
As well as becoming the first African American to earn a best original song nomination at the Oscars, he also left his mark as one of the first Black executives to make it in Hollywood.
It wasn’t always smooth for Jones though, who had his share of personal hardships, including surviving a brain aneurysm in 1974 which stopped him playing the trumpet.
And just five years earlier, he was nearly a victim of Charles Manson’s cult after he forgot about a planned visit to Sharon Tate’s house on the night of her murder.
His outspoken nature complicated his legacy for some fans too, with a string of outrageous and controversial comments over the years.
From talking about his infidelity in marriage to proudly claiming he lost his virginity aged 12 to a 35-year-old woman, he wouldn’t shy away from speaking his mind.
‘As long as there are hot ladies around I don’t mind. I was married for 36 years but now I’m free. I’ve done my duty,’ he told the Telegraph in 2010. ‘Seven children, six grandchildren, five mothers, three wives. My oldest grandson is 36. I might be a great grandfather soon.’
In 2018, Jones gave a couple of particularly shocking interviews, including one with Vulture when he made startling claims about Jackson and The Beatles, while even claiming he knew who shot US President John F. Kennedy.
He claimed ‘who killed Kennedy’ is the one thing he wishes he ‘didn’t know’, in the same interview he claimed he dated Ivanka Trump.
‘She had the most beautiful legs I ever saw in my life. Wrong father, though,’ he said at the time, while accusing Jackson of stealing ‘a lot of stuff’.
‘He stole a lot of songs’, Jones claimed, having dismissed the idea of working together again shortly before Jackson’s 2009 death because he didn’t want to retread the past.
In the same chat, he claimed Godfather actor Marlon Brandon would ‘f**k anything’, and claimed he even had a relationship with comedian Richard Pryor.
Pryor’s widow Jennifer Lee later told TMZ that he husband was open about his bisexuality, and wouldn’t be ashamed by the claim.
However, the comedian’s daughter Rain – whose mother is Pryor’s second wife Shelley Bonus – strongly denied the affair, as did Brando’s family, who described it as a ‘wrongful comment’.
Jones also had strong words for The Beatles, saying in 2018: ‘First impression of The Beatles: That they were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing motherf***ers. Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo? Don’t even talk about it.’
The interviews resulted in a ‘family intervention’, and he described his comments as ‘wordvomit and bad-mouthing’ while insisting there is no excuse.
‘I am an imperfect human and I’m not afraid to say it. And I’m sorry,’ he said in a social media statement at the time.
An imperfect person, but a pioneer who changed the entertainment world for the better, and whose legacy can’t be denied.
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