Music legend Quincy Jones has passed away. He was 91 years old. The musician and producer worked with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra and composed the soundtrack to more than 50 movies. Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, said he “passed away peacefully” on Sunday night at his home in Bel Air. In a statement, he said:
“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.”
Jones was the producer of Michael Jackson’s record-breaking Thriller album, and his career spanned more than 75 years. He won 28 Grammy awards and was named as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time magazine.
In 1971, Jones became the first African American to be the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards. He also produced and conducted the recording of the 1985 charity record We Are The World.
His film and TV credits included In The Heat of the Night, The Color Purple, They Call Me Mister Tibbs, and The Italian Job. He was also a producer on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, and worked alongside Michael Jackson on The Wiz, leading to their long collaboration that also included Off The Wall and Bad.
Quincy Jones was also responsible for re-working Fly Me To The Moon with Frank Sinatra to turn it from a waltz into a swing, driving that to stratospheric success.