Jazz and popular music giant Quincy Jones dies aged 91
Kevin Whitlock
Monday, November 4, 2024
The producer, trumpeter, composer, bandleader and arranger died aged 91 on Sunday evening
Quincy Jones, a giant of jazz and popular music, who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and many others, has died aged 91.
Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, said this morning (4 November) that Jones "passed away peacefully" on Sunday night at his home in Bel Air.
"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 family said in a statement.
Chicago-born Jones was best known as the producer of Michael Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time, but he began his career in jazz, as a trumpeter and later arranger/bandleader/composer for the likes of Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, as well as Sinatra, Miles Davis and George Benson. He was also an acclaimed composer of soundtracks, working on more than 50 TV and movie scores, including for The Italian Job, In Cold Blood, The Color Purple and In The Heat Of The Night.
Over a career that 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.
A full obituary will follow shortly.