We’re so sorry to learn that the legendary 30-time Grammy Award winner and groundbreaking music producer has passed away at the age of 91. Quincy Jones left an indelible mark on music and culture. His iconic album The Dude, nominated for 12 Grammy Awards, brought us timeless hits like “100 Ways” and “Just Once,” performed by the incomparable late James Ingram.
But Quincy was more than a producer; he was a visionary. He helped discover Oprah Winfrey, casting her as Sophia in The Color Purple, and he played a pivotal role in transforming Michael Jackson into a global superstar. He also brought The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air into our lives, giving Will Smith his big break.
Quincy even changed my views on rap. I was young when rap started to get popular, but my appreciation for it only truly began with Quincy’s masterpiece, Back on the Block. This album is incredible—a fusion of jazz, Latin, R&B, gospel, and rap, showcasing artists across genres. On one of the tracks, featuring Kool Moe Dee, Quincy boldly states, “I’m here to tell you, rap is here to stay.” He was right! Back on the Block also introduced me to the amazing voices of Tamia and Tevin Campbell.
Born Quincy Delight Jones was born in Chicago and raised in Bremerton Washington, where he studied the trumpet and worked locally with the then-unknown pianist-singer Ray Charles. In the early 1950s Jones studied briefly at the prestigious Schillinger House (now Berklee College of Music) in Boston before touring with Lionel Hampton as a trumpeter and arranger.
Throughout the years, Jones worked with a “who’s who” of figures from all fields of popular music. He was nominated for more than 75 Grammy-awards (winning 30) and seven Academy Awards and received an Emmy Award for the theme music he wrote for the television miniseries Roots (1977). He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001 and the National Medal of Arts in 2010. In 2013 Jones was inducted into the Rock in Roll Hall of Fame.
Quincy Jones is survived by seven children.
Thank you, Quincy, for being the genius who redefined music and culture. You will always be that DUDE.
Quincy Jones March 13, 1933 – November 3, 2025.