R.I.P. legendary composer, musician and producer Quincy Jones

Legendary musician, composer and producer Quincy Jones died in his home this weekend, according to a report from The New York Times. He was 91.

Jones was a giant of popular music, having released dozens of albums and scoring films such as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Italian Job and The Color Purple. He’s won 28 Grammy awards throughout his career and earned over 80 nominations as well, making him one of the most nominated artists in the awards’ history.

Jones was born in Chicago in 1933 and began playing trumpet at age 10. He later formed a band with another young musician, Ray Charles. He attended Berklee College of Music and began a career as a touring musician in the 1950s, both as musical director for Dizzy Gillespie’s band and as the leader of his own ensemble. He also continued to work with Ray Charles, along with other artists such as Dinah Washington and Count Basie.

Jones became vice president of Mercury Records in the 1960s, and began a new path as a film composer. In 1977, he did music supervision for the musical The Wiz, where he was introduced to Michael Jackson, which led to another new and successful chapter. Jones produced Jackson’s classic albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. Jones also produced the massive 1985 charity single “We Are the World,” which sold 8 million units and raised money to help victims of the famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s.

Jones continued releasing music late into his career, his most recent release being 2010’s Q Soul Bossa Nostra. He also recently appeared on The Weeknd’s Dawn FM in 2022.

A statement from the Jones family reads, “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. He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”