Talented record producer and songwriter Quincy Jones never struggled looking for love.
The music icon, who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, has died at the age of 91, it was announced today. Quincy was surrounded by his loved ones when he passed away on Sunday night at his home in Bel Air. He is survived by his seven children.
A statement from his beloved family read: "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."
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Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)Image:
Getty Images)Quincy married three times, first to a high school sweetheart named Jeri Caldwell for nine years until their split in 1966. They shared a daughter. Then he tied the knot with Ulla Andersson and had two more children before splitting in 1974. He then married Peggy Lipton and welcomed two daughters. They split in 1989.
But despite his marriages never working out, Quincy's love life never faltered and the music producer was romantically involved with dozens of women all around the globe. In a 2018 interview with GQ, he said: "I got 22 girlfriends…Hell yeah. Everywhere. Cape Town. Cairo. Stockholm – she's coming in next week.
"Brazil – Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, and Rio. Shanghai – got a great girl over there from Shanghai, man. Cairo, whew." When asked if they knew about one another, Quincy said: "Yeah, I don't lie. And it's amazing – women get it, man. Don't you ever forget they're 13 years smarter than we are. Don't you ever forget it."
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NY Daily News via Getty Images)The famed American star went on to add that none of them were "fat and old", but between the ages of 28 to 42. He explained that his daughters restricted his age-gap romances and told him: "Dad, you can't go out with girls younger than us." Quincy added: "You see me with an 84-year-old woman? Are you crazy? Why not? Why? For what, man? There's nothing... there's no upside."
The father-of-seven, who had one son and six daughters, said he believed his daughters were his punishment for his womanising ways. He explained: "When you've been a dog all your life, God gives you beautiful daughters and you have to suffer. I love 'em so much. They're here all the time."
Quincy was extremely proud of his brood - Jolie, 69, Rachel, 59, Martina, 58, Quincy III, 55, Kidada, 50, Rashida, 48, and Kenya, 31. His only son, Quincy Delight Jones III, followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a music producer and has worked with artists like Dr. Dre, Tupac and Ice Cube during his career.
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FilmMagic)Image:
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)Meanwhile, Jolie Jones Levine, the star's eldest child, dabbled in acting while second daughter Rachel is a doctor. Martina Jones is a successful model who splits her time between America and her mother's home country of Sweden. Rashida Jones stars in the TV show Parks & Recreation, while his daughters Kenya and Kidada are both models.
The talented producer, who became one of the first Black executives to thrive in Hollywood and amassed a huge musical catalogue, worked on Michael Jackson's historic 'Thriller' album. He arranged records for Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald and composed the soundtracks for Roots and In the Heat of the Night.
Not only was he a successful composer of dozens of film scores and had many chart hits, he was also a bandleader in big band jazz, an arranger for jazz stars including Count Basie, and a multi-instrumentalist - with him playing the trumpet and piano. His TV and film production company, founded in 1990, was successful with the series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and many other shows.