Source: Variety / Getty
The music world is mourning one of its most prominent architects.
Legendary producer Quincy Jones has passed away at the age of 91.
His family confirmed he died Sunday evening and spoke about his accomplishments in a statement,
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the Jones family said in the statement. “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.”
Jones first became a household name in the 1960s, writing film scores and arranging jazz, working with stars like Frank Sinatra and Count Basie.
He even became the first Black man nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. In fact, the first movie he ever produced was 1985’s The Color Purple, and the film’s score even got him an Oscar nomination.
In the late 1970s, his work with pop superstar Michael Jackson helped him reach even greater success. He’s the mastermind behind his edgiest albums, Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad, as the two’s working relationship started after meeting on the set of The Wiz.
During that legendary run, he also produced “We Are The World,” a star-studded track that included vocals from 46 singers, including Lionel Richie, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Ray Charles, to raise money and awareness for famine in Ethiopia.
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
See how social media is reacting to the death of a musical legend below.
