Will Smith pens emotional tribute to 'mentor' and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air producer Quincy Jones

Will Smith paid tribute to his mentor Quincy Jones, who was the composer and executive producer on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Will Smith began his fruitful acting career when he starred as the fictionalised version of himself in the hit series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

The Se7en actor started as an MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and starred in the show from 1990 until it ended in 1996. Fresh Prince was executive produced by Quincy Jones, who died over the weekend at the age of 91 surrounded by his family members.

The music titan also composed the music for the popular 90s sitcom, which also starred James Avery, Janet Hubert-Whitten, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons and Tatyana M. Ali. Following the news of Quincy's heartbreaking death, Will took to his Instagram to share a black-and-white photo of the duo.

In the snap, Quincy smiled as he pointed to Will - who leaned his head on his hand. He said: "Quincy Jones is the true definition of a Mentor, a Father and a Friend. He pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly."

Fans took to the comment section to pay their respects, with one user writing: "That’s the perfect example of what a mentor should be, we need to bring those kind of leader back in the community," while comedian Loni Love posted: "Quincy gave so much to the culture.. he was the great Maestro for the sound track of our lives.. prayers to his family and friends…"

One said: "It’s crazy you were the first person I thought of when I heard the news. You were blessed to have such a talented and wise mentor. I’m praying for you and his family." Quincy's publicist announced the producer and composer died at his home in Bel-Air on Sunday evening.

Quincy was surrounded by family when he died. The statement from his 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.”

The star is survived by seven children - Jolie, 69, Rachel, 59, Martina, 58, Quincy III, 55, Kidada, 50, Rashida, 48, and Kenya, 31.

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