BEL AIR—Music producer Quincy Jones, known for producing the number one selling album of all-time, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has died at the age of 91. Jones died at his home in Bel Air, surrounded by family and friends. His publicist, Arnold Robinson announced the passing of the musician Sunday night.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know thee will never be another like him.”
Jones worked in the music industry for more than 7 decades and earned a total of 28 Grammy Awards during his career. He is known for his impact on the genre of jazz in the music industry. He is responsible for the score for the TV series “Roots” and the critically acclaimed 1985 film “The Color Purple” directed by Steven Spielberg. In 1968 he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “The Eyes of Love” from the movie “Banning.” He was also nominated for Best Original Score for “In Cold Blood.”
Jones was a frequent collaborator with musician Michael Jackson with the albums, “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad.” He also produced and conducted the 1985 song, “We Are the World” which won the Grammy Award for Record and Song of the Year and consisted of a slew of musician including Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, James Ingram, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Kim Carnes and Bob Dylan to name a few.
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and was named by Time magazine as the most influential jazz musician of the 20th century. Other notable musicians that Jones worked with include Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Marvin Gaye.
Jones was born in Chicago in March 1933. The family moved to Washington in 1943, and he studied music at Seattle University. He served as producer on “The Color Purple” (1985) which earned 11 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, but didn’t win a single award at the ceremony. He suffered two brain aneurysms in 1974.
His frequent collaboration with Jackson helped the youngest Jackson’s first solo album “Off the Wall” to sell 20 million copies. Their collaboration on “Thriller” in 1982 led to more than 65 million albums being sold and earned a record 8 Grammy Awards in 1984 including Album of the Year.
The musician was married 3 times during his career and has seven children, Kenya, Rashida, Kidada, Martina, Quincy, Jolie and Rachel. Jones released a total of 16 studio albums during his career, not including his work on 24 soundtrack albums including “The Wiz” and “The Color Purple.” He won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for “Back on the Block” at the 1991 Grammy Awards. An exact cause of death for Jones has not yet been disclosed to the public.
By Trevor