Quincy Jones is dead: Legendary music producer dies at 91

The famous music producer Quincy Jones is dead. He died on Sunday evening at his home in Bel Air in Los Angeles surrounded by his family, said his spokesman Arnold Robinson. Jones became known, among other things, through his collaboration with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, for whom he produced the album “Thriller”, for example. He died at the age of 91.

Jones was born in Chicago in 1933, he was a musician on stage, wrote and arranged songs, ran a record label, produced songs and was also active in the film industry. As a child he played piano and trumpet, sang in a gospel group and later studied music. He eventually ended up in New York, where he worked for Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1961, Jones became vice president of the record company Mercury Records – the first African American to hold a comparable position.

He also struggled with racism, as he reported, and saw it as a reason for his ambition: “Success was a way to defeat discrimination,” Jones said years ago in an interview with the SZ-Magazin.

After initially primarily playing jazz, Jones later also worked for various pop musicians. He also composed soundtracks for films. His most successful work was for the singer Michael Jackson in the late 1980s and early 1990s: for him he produced the albums “Off The Wall”, “Thriller” and “Bad”. “Thriller” is still considered the best-selling album in pop history.

In 1985 he brought the most famous people in the pop industry into the studio and recorded the song “We Are the World”. This anthem against global hunger grossed $50 million. Jones was nominated for a Grammy 80 times and won the trophy 28 times. Jones was married three times and had seven children by five women.