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Legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who worked with Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra, died of natural causes at age 91.
Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed to PEOPLE that Jones died at his Los Angeles home on Sunday, Nov. 3. He was surrounded by his family.
“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 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 won 28 Grammy awards and earned 80 Grammy nominations over his 70-year career as a music composer, songwriter and band leader. He also won an Oscar, Emmy Award and a Tony Award.
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was born on the South Side of Chicago on March 14, 1933. As a child, Jones learned to play the piano from his neighbor, Lucy Jackson.
His mother, Sarah, suffered a schizophrenic breakdown and was admitted to a mental hospital. His father Quincy Sr. remarried and moved the family to Seattle, where Jones attended Garfield High School and developed his skills as a trumpeter and arranger.
At age 14, Jones introduced himself to 16-year-old Ray Charles. He cited Ray Charles as an early inspiration.
In 1953, aged 20, Jones traveled with jazz bandleader Lionel Hampton in Europe. During the 1950s, Jones toured Europe with several jazz orchestras. He formed his own orchestra but Jones was financially strapped and the band soon dissolved.
In 1960, he landed a job as musical director of Mercury Record’s New York division. In 1961, Jones was promoted as the vice-president of Mercury, becoming the first Black person to hold the position.
During that same year, he composed music for The Pawnbroker. Following the success of The Pawnbroker, Jones left Mercury Records and moved to Los Angeles.
His film credits over the next seven years included Walk, Don’t Run, The Deadly Affair, In Cold Blood, In the Heat of the Night, and many more.
In the 1960s, Jones worked as a music arranger for Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Horn, Peggy Lee, Nana Mouskouri, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington.
He also worked on his own solo recordings, including “Soul Bossa Nova”, which was used as the theme for the 1997 spy comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Jones produced all four million-selling singles for singer Lesley Gore (right) in 1963 and 1964, including “It’s My Party”, “Judy’s Turn to Cry”, “She’s a Fool”, and “You Don’t Own Me”.
Jones is pictured with Lesley Gore and Jamaican singer-songwriter Millie Small (center) in a photo dated August 1964.
In 1975, Jones founded Qwest Productions. In 1978, he produced the soundtrack for The Wiz, the all-Black musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, which starred Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. He won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for The Wiz in 1979.
In 1982, he produced Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the bestselling album in music history. Jones picked up 2 Grammy Awards for his work on Thriller: Album of the Year and Record of the Year for “Beat It.”
Jones never learned to drive after he was involved in a car crash at age 14.
Jones was a gossip who outed down-low homosexuals Marlon Brando, James Baldwin, Richard Pryor, and Marvin Gaye.
Jones was married three times and had seven children with five different women. He is also survived by three grandchildren. He was godfather to actor-musician Quincy Brown, who was named after him.
In his final Instagram post on Sunday, Nov. 2, Jones shared a photo of himself and daughter Martina. He captioned the post: “Happy Birthday to my Tina Beena @martinafotos1!!. So proud to be yo papa! Big hug, I love you eternally.
